The Blood of My Father
by Ellie8605
Summary: Trinity Turner is only ten years old when she is kidnapped by pirates. After losing her memory and being rescued by the infamous Jack Sparrow, Trinity begins a new life. When destiny calls, will she be able to return to a life she can't remember? COMPLETE
1. A Miniature

Chapter One: A Miniature  
  
Trinity Turner was romping about the gardens behind her grandfather's mansion. She loved the gardens, especially in summer when everything was blooming and fragrant in the way that only the Caribbean can be at that time of year. Her grandfather, old and quite grey though still an able governor of Port Royal, sat beneath an umbrella, sipping his tea in a dignified manner and watching in exasperation as Trinity ploughed through bushes and shrubbery, pretending to be a pirate.  
"Trinity, really!" Governor Swann cried when she nearly hit him in the face with her "sword"-a long stick she'd found beneath a tree. "Come and sit down, now; your tea's been long cold. Your mother will be appalled when she and your father return. You've become a right ruffian."  
"Nay, grandfather!" ten-year-old Trinity cried. "A pirate!" She swung her stick around once more before plopping indecently onto the bench next to her grandfather and slurping her tea loudly.  
Governor Swann sighed. His only granddaughter had long passed the days of playing and was swiftly approaching days of sitting, sewing, and being idle, like any aristocratic female. His daughter, Elizabeth, had never enjoyed such activities, but she had encouraged them for her daughter, so that she might be well received in society. Trinity's father, Will, had finished his apprenticeship at Brown's shop and had opened his own blacksmith's shop, specializing in the most beautiful swords in the Caribbean. He had quickly become the most sought-after blacksmith in the town and then the Caribbean; his swords were demanded for any naval promotion ceremony and even by pirates-whom he traded with only if they happened to drop a certain name.  
As it were, Will and Elizabeth were taking a holiday to England, which neither of them had seen in almost twenty years. They had left Trinity with her grandfather for the months they would be gone, wanting to take a second honeymoon of sorts.  
And over the two months they had been gone so far, Trinity had run wild. She had entered the Governor's mansion somewhat dignified, but now she neglected everything her mother had taught her. She ran rampant and wild, and though the servants found her amusing and spoiled her behind the Governor's back, her grandfather found it less than amusing. Her obsession with pirates was a bit too like Elizabeth's at the same age. It never helped that the child was the spitting image of her mother, though with some slight differences. Her eyes, for one, were completely her father's, as was the stubborn set of her jaw. Anyone could look at Trinity and see Elizabeth, but it took someone who knew the both of them to look at her and see Will shining out of her eyes.  
It was as the Governor was reflecting on his grandchild's behavior that one of the servants approached. "Commodore Norrington to see you, sir."  
Governor Swann started. "Bring him hither," he said with a wave of his hand, and the servant disappeared. "Dear child, the Commodore has come; do make yourself proper."  
Trinity sighed heavily and smoothed the wrinkles and crumbs from her gown. She sat up straight and kept her chin down but her eyes up as she demurely sipped her tea. The Commodore's footsteps could be heard on the garden path.  
"Governor," Norrington greeted him with a bow. "Miss Turner." He bowed to her in turn, a slight pang ringing through in his voice. His eyes brimmed with grief whenever he looked upon this happy child who so resembled her mother; she could have been his own daughter.  
"Commodore," the governor replied. "What news?" In recent weeks, the pirate threat in the Caribbean had become more pronounced than ever. Daring ships were taking on navy vessels without a sign of fear or remorse. Commodore Norrington had become instrumental in cleaning out the seas, and so it was he who was appointed to keep Port Royal and the surrounding settlements as safe as possible.  
"A small fleet ten leagues to the north, sir," Norrington replied. "We've sent two ships out to welcome them. Reports should be in just after nightfall."  
"Very well," Swann said. "Excellent. Tea?"  
"No, thank you, Governor. I'll be on my way. Good day to you, and to Miss Turner." He bowed again and exited the grounds as quickly as he had come.  
"Grandfather, is it a pirate fleet the Commodore was talking about?" inquired Trinity, her eyes sparkling.  
"Yes; and they'll be no more by the morning," her grandfather replied. "Let that stick in your mind, Trinity: this is was a pirate deserves. Now, on inside; the sun is beginning to set."  
Trinity was oddly solemn throughout the remainder of the evening. She ate in silence and went to her bedchamber early. As she lay beneath the velvet canopy of her bed, she pondered the words her grandfather had spoken. Did pirates really deserve to be cornered and killed? Did anyone deserve that? She fell asleep, still musing over the warning the Governor had given her.  
Trinity awoke in the middle of the night to an incredibly loud booming noise. She sat bolt upright and was in the middle of pulling back her curtains when one of the maids, a young lass of about seventeen named Cora, burst into the room.  
"Miss Turner!" she shrieked. "You must come at once; the Governor's ordered you brought to the fort! Pirates have come to Port Royal!"  
"Pirates!" Trinity breathed as Cora threw a dressing gown around Trinity's shoulders and hauled her down the stairs. The other servants were madly racing out the doors.  
"Where's my grandfather?" Trinity protested. "Why can't I go with him?"  
"He's assisting the Commodore, Miss," Cora replied, pulling Trinity out of the doors and down the long path to the gate. "He ordered your removal to the fort just before he left. Come now, Miss, don't be frightened; we must get along!"  
"I'm not frightened!" Trinity cried. "Let me loose, Cora! I can walk on my own!"  
Cora dropped Trinity's hand. "Make haste, Miss! There's three ships, now, and one's been docked nigh an hour! We're to go by the back alleys; pirates and ruffians all about the main streets. Here we are; follow closely, Miss!"  
"What happened to the ships Commodore Norrington sent out this afternoon?" Trinity asked as she trotted along behind Cora, amazed at how cool the girl seemed during an attack of such magnitude.  
"All sunk, Miss," Cora replied, peeking around the corner of a building and leading Trinity forward. "The ruffians' ships were much faster; they blew the ships to the wind and kept on coming. There! Just two more streets and we've made it!"  
"How do you know all this?" Trinity asked as they rounded the next corner.  
"Because she's my girl, ain't ye, lass?" came a rough voice from the shadows of the alleyway. Trinity whirled around and was immediately caught by a pair of rough hands. A hand was clapped over her mouth before she ever realized what was happening.  
"All's going well?" Trinity heard Cora ask one of the men who had popped out of the shadows.  
"Like a dream, love," replied a very drunken voice. "Bill's got it right, 'avin' you 'ere for us."  
"Now! Shut it 'fore this lass 'ears too much!" came the voice of "Bill", the man who was holding Trinity.  
The pirate-for Trinity guessed that's what they were-leaned down and looked at her. "Guv'nor's grand-kid, i' she?"  
"Aye," Cora replied, but her voice was different. Trinity's eyes grew wide as the conversation finally sank in; Cora was not a kindly maid-she was a pirate, or a pirate's wife or.whatever it was, she was associated with these men, and she had led Trinity to them.  
"I'll be back for ye when we've the ransom," Bill said. "Mind ye keep well, Maria. Six months or less."  
And with these last words, Bill pulled a rough sack over Trinity's head and the two men carried her swiftly through the town and onto their flagship, the Grim Lady. The figurehead was carved as a maiden, hooded and cloaked in the fashion of the Grim Reaper.  
Trinity was dumped unceremoniously onto the deck and pulled out of the bags. She stood immediately and glared defiantly at her captors; she said not a word but glared evenly at the ring of pirates that encircled her, chin high and proud.  
A tall, broad pirated sauntered down from the wheel and broke through the circle to take a look at Trinity. The captain. "Ah," said he. "I see ye've brought me bounty! What be yer name, girl?"  
"Trinity Turner," Trinity replied coolly.  
"A brave lass?" said the captain. She nodded. "Good. Take her below and dress 'er up. She'll be in my service. Welcome aboard the Grim Lady, Miss Turner."  
And Trinity knew naught but blackness and cruelty as she was taken below.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Trinity had been aboard the Grim Lady for three weeks. Captain Flynn had made her his personal servant-or slave, a more accurate description. He'd had her long curls chopped off to above her ears, dressed her like a boy, wrapped a bandanna around her head, and set her to work. Mostly, she stood still by his side as he steered the ship, or ran his errands. He barely spoke to her, but he did send an occasional kick her way when he was in a temper. She'd learned to stay away from him when he was drunk.  
The crew ignored her. She was invisible to them, and she liked it that way. She had always wondered what it would be like to be a pirate, and now that she was living on a real pirate ship, she was beginning to long for her chamber in the Governor's house again. Pirates were not as exciting as she had hoped.  
They were sailing around the coast of a small island on a fine, sun- soaked day when a cry came out from the lookout.  
A large ship with black sails was fast approaching, their skull and crossbones waving in the wind.  
"Load the cannons!" Captain Flynn bellowed. "Lower the anchor!" He caught sight of Trinity and gave her a swift kick in the shins. "Move, ye leech, or we'll load you into the cannons!"  
Trinity scampered off to help load the guns on deck; iron balls were thrown into her tiny arms, and she thrust them into the cannons as quickly as she could.  
The crew was not quick enough. The other ship was almost alongside them; it seemed amazing how quickly it moved. Trinity nearly fell off her feet as the ship spun around to face their adversary; the anchor had been lowered. A battle was inevitable.  
The Lady fired first. Trinity had learned that Flynn was a rash captain, very aggressive. They had fired two cannons by the time the other ship had fired their first.  
It was not a long battle, however. The other ship obviously had a much more skilled crew; they blew holes in the Lady until she was riding so low they had no chance to flee. Then came the ropes; the enemy crew was boarding.  
Trinity cowered in a corner. She'd heard well the tales of how captives were treated. She kept herself hidden and watched the hand-to-hand combat rage on in the decks until Captain Flynn himself, who was being held at gunpoint by the enemy captain, a black-haired man with a swaggering walk, called for surrender.  
The foreign pirates ceased battle at once, and the crew of the Grim Lady surrendered.  
"What will ye do with me crew?" Flynn asked the opposing captain, who had allowed him to stand freely once his own crew had collected the others' weapons.  
"That depends, mate," drawled this tan, swaggering pirate.  
"On?" snarled Flynn.  
"On what you've got to offer, savvy?" Trinity caught the glint of gold teeth as he smiled.  
Flynn stiffened. "If you allow me and my crew to keep our ship and go on, yer crew can take the plunder we've just collected."  
The other captain was now wandering about the deck, smiling and shaking hands with the enemy crew. They snarled and spat at him. He was so close to Trinity's hiding spot that she could see his face clearly, every gold tooth, every scar.  
He paused. "What say ye?" he asked his crew.  
"Aye, Cap'n!" they cried.  
The opposing captain grinned. "We have an accord!" he cried. "Gibbs!" An older, graying man stepped forward. "See to the plunder; send the other lads over."  
"Aye," the man called Gibbs replied, and he caught a rope and swung back over to his ship, calling for the rest of the crew to board and raid the Grim Lady.  
This strange captain began exploring the deck of the ship. He neared the captain's cabin, Flynn watching him from behind the man who guarded him. Trinity trembled in fear; she was hidden behind the extension of the wall next to the cabin door.  
The captain seemed to be examining the woodwork on the door. He ran his fingers over the molding, muttering to himself. After a moment, he straightened and made to move back to his men. Trinity breathed; she was free.  
Not so, for the sound of her exhalation had caused him to glance in the direction of her hiding place, and upon seeing a pair of eyes staring back at him from the shadows, the captain gave a cry of alarm.  
"What 'ave we 'ere?" he drawled, reaching in and pulling Trinity out by her arm in a surprisingly gentle fashion. She struggled against him only to show Flynn her loyalty to him and perhaps save herself another kick.  
"Steady there, lad!" the pirate said, obviously thinking her a young boy, due to her garb. "I won't 'urt ye. Let's see, you, then."  
And to her surprise, Trinity saw something of recognition his eyes when he studied her face. "Interesting," he mused to himself. "Captain Flynn," he cried, whirling about. "Where'd you pick up this lad?"  
"None of your damn business, Sparrow," Flynn growled. "That child's mine by rights and you can't 'ave him."  
"Your child, eh? Not some wretch you picked up in Tortuga and asked a pitiful ransom for, eh? Did you get it, mate?"  
Captain Flynn sneered. "I'll not let ye bully me out of me cabin boy, Sparrow!"  
Captain Sparrow looked surprised. "Listen 'ere, mate, I'm not trying to bully you out of anything. I'll let you keep a quarter of your plunder to pay for repairs if you'll give me this 'ere child. I could use a cabin boy, meself."  
Trinity had remained silent through these proceedings, but she had had quite enough. "I'm not a boy!" she cried vehemently, ripping the hat from her head and stomping her foot at the man called Captain Sparrow. "I'm a girl, and I come from Port-"  
Just then, Bill, the first mate whose mistress Maria had been known as Cora in the governor's house, stood suddenly and knocked the girl unconscious with his boot. He was pinned down by two of Jack Sparrow's crew, and Sparrow looked exceedingly put out.  
"There was no need for that," he said irritably. "I'll be taking me new cabin.er.girl, now. Cotton!" Another crewmember stepped forward. "See that an eight of Captain Flynn's plunder is left aboard, and then tell the men to return to the Pearl." Cotton nodded and headed below decks.  
"You said a fourth," Flynn growled.  
Jack flashed his gold teeth at Flynn once more. "Yes, well, I'll be needing a bit more to tend to the damages on my newest crewmember. I hope you understand." He glanced at the men holding down Bill. "Bring the girl aboard, mates." He caught a rope and waved at Flynn as he swung back aboard his own ship, the Black Pearl.  
Gibbs was standing on the starboard side of the deck watching the men bring the treasure aboard when he noticed two of the men bearing what looked like a young lad, unconscious and bleeding from a gash on the back of his head.  
"Cap'n!" Gibbs cried, making his way to the helm, where Jack stood, also watching the proceedings. "Wha's that boy coming aboard for?"  
"That's no boy, Gibbs," Jack said, grinning. "That girl there is an exact miniature of Elizabeth Turner. Don't tell me you've forgotten her, now?"  
Gibbs stared awestruck as the unconscious form of Trinity Turner was brought on deck. "Miss Elizabeth?" he said. "'eard she married that blacksmith-'eard it in Tortuga, I did. But ne'r 'eard nothing about a kid. Are ye sure, Cap'n?"  
"Have I ever been wrong before?" Jack asked, moving down to the deck where the crew had left Trinity lying on the wooden floor while they loaded up the plunder.  
"AnaMaria!" Jack called when he saw the woman coming up from the hold. "Take this girl to my cabin and tend to her, will you, love?"  
AnaMaria looked up sharply. "And what'll we be doin' with a lass aboard, Jack? The Pearl ain't no place for a girl."  
"That's right, I'd forgotten we've never 'ad a woman on the Pearl," Jack said, and he received a smarting slap for it, too.  
"Now, love, don't be hasty. Take 'er to the cabin and tell me when she's awake." He stood up and barked orders at the crew to raise the anchor and set sail, leaving the Grim Lady wounded and alone.  
He had just taken the wheel again, sighing in relief after the little escapade, when AnaMaria approached him.  
"What now?" he groaned.  
"She's awake," AnaMaria snapped, and she turned on her heel and stalked back to Jack's cabin.  
Jack left the wheel in Gibbs' hands and went directly to his cabin, where Trinity lay on the bed, her head bandaged, wrapped in a blanket. AnaMaria perched by her side, glaring at Jack as he entered.  
"'ello, lass," Jack said, in what he hoped was a kindly voice. But he was far too curious to be kind.  
"Where am I?" demanded Trinity, her eyes looking glazed.  
"You're aboard the Black Pearl, the fastest ship in the Caribbean, love," Jack replied. He felt awkward towering over both the girl and AnaMaria, so he knelt and leaned on the table by the bed. AnaMaria glanced at him approvingly, for which he was grateful. Life was hell when she was on the warpath.  
"Can you tell us your name, lass?" he asked.  
Trinity stared at the ceiling of the cabin, thinking. What was her name? It came to her in a flash. "Trinity," she said triumphantly. "It's Trinity."  
"Aye, that's good. Trini," AnaMaria said with a slightly smile. "Trini'll be easier for the crew."  
"What about your last name?" Jack pressed. "Your parents' names? Where's your home? How did you come to live on the Grim Lady?"  
But try as she might, Trinity could remember nothing. "I-I remember a big house," she said. "Gardens. Waking up to loud crashes in a big bed." Memories came in flashes, like pieces of a puzzle she could not solve. "Someone kicked me. A battle, a swordfight and then-" She paused and looked up at Jack's face. "Then this," she said, her voice trembling for the first time.  
AnaMaria glanced sharply at Jack and nodded at the door. "That's good, lass," Jack said. "Good.have a rest, now, and AnaMaria'll come back for you."  
They exited the cabin, closing the door softly behind them. "What are you thinking, Jack?" AnaMaria hissed. "We can't have a little girl on the ship! Are you out of your head?"  
"No, love, I'm not," Jack said. "That child is the daughter of Will and Elizabeth Turner. There was a raid on Port Royal nigh three weeks ago, didn't you know?"  
"I know, Jack!" AnaMaria cried, exasperated. "And the child remembers nothin'! How d'ye know she's a Turner?"  
Jack grinned. "Did you look at her, love? Ain't she the spitting image of Elizabeth?"  
AnaMaria crossed her arms and nodded grudgingly. "And what d'ye propose we do with her?"  
Jack looked mildly surprised. "I expect Will and Elizabeth might want her back," he said.  
The next thing he knew, the left side of his face was smarting again.  
  
"Fool!" AnaMaria said. "The guard around Port Royal's impossible to get through without an entire fleet, and now that they've been attacked, it's going to be worse! We'll never make it in!"  
"Aye," Jack said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. An idea came to him and he threw his hands up. "She can stay!" he cried. "Stay until we find a way to slip back into Port Royal, drop 'er off, and get back out! Maybe collect a bit of a reward, you know.for havin' brought 'er back. What say ye?"  
"Jack, you don't know a damn thing about kids," AnaMaria argued. "How d'you expect to keep her for more than a week?"  
Jack waved his hands dismissively. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow!" he said. "She's a little girl, plays with dolls and such. I'll figure it out. Now, would you find 'er a place to sleep, because she can't live in my cabin forever."  
AnaMaria restrained herself. There was no use arguing when Jack had got an idea fixed firmly in his head. She stalked off and headed below deck to arrange a suitable living space for Trinity.  
Jack grinned and returned to the helm, dismissing Gibbs for the night. He took the wheel and breathed in the salty air. Nothing like the sea. 


	2. Trini the Pirate

Chapter Two: Trini the Pirate  
  
Trini Sparrow was leaning over the rail of the Black Pearl, watching as dolphins swam and jumped along after them. She loved the salty spray on her face, the wind that blew her long brown curls loose from the string that kept them tied in place, the sound and smell of the sea. She'd been raised on the sea, as far as she knew. She couldn't exactly remember; her only real memories were those that took place on the Pearl. She had a feeling she'd lived on another ship before that, and before that a house, for she had fleeting memories of a garden and a bed, but other than that, her life had blossomed and formed around her time on the open sea. And there was nothing she loved more, just like her father.  
Trini knew somewhere in the back of her mind that Jack Sparrow was not her father, just as she knew she had not always lived on the Pearl and that her name was not really Trini Sparrow. But she had only ever been called Trini, and Sparrow was the only surname she ever wanted. Jack had raised her, after all. He had taken her to heart as though she was his own daughter, taught her the ways of the sea, taught her to love the ocean, showed her how to do some of the easier jobs on deck, stood and held her hand when she was afraid to stand alone in the crow's nest. And try as he might to deny it, Jack Sparrow loved the girl he had come to call his daughter. She knew it, and he knew it, but they never spoke of it. For somewhere in the backs of both their minds, they knew that whatever history they had woven together was not true. But for the most part, neither Jack nor Trini ever thought about it; they were as father and daughter, and they were happy.  
"Jack, look at these dolphins!" Trini shouted over the wind. She had tried calling him "father" once, when she was younger, but he hadn't liked that one bit. It had been Jack for the past seven years, and nothing would ever change that.  
"Aye, lass, they love the Pearl," Jack called, not bothering to turn around. Trini knew he didn't like to be disturbed when he was at the wheel; it relaxed him.  
Gibbs came wandering up and stood next to Trini. He pointed the opposite direction and handed her Jack's spyglass. "Looky there, lass," he said, swigging from his flask. "What d'ye see?"  
"Land!" Trini cried. "Jack, are we going to port?"  
"Aye," Jack called absently. "Tortuga, just for a day or two."  
"Tortuga!" Trini shouted. She couldn't resist the urge to fling her arms around Jack. "At last! I thought you'd never bring me to Tortuga!"  
Jack smiled at her. "Well, you can't be a pirate good and proper til ye've seen Tortuga, love. Consider it your final initiation."  
Trini gasped and drew away from him. "You'll let me go, then?" she cried. "On the raids and.and to the isle? I can go?"  
Jack looked slightly uncomfortable. "Might as well," he said gruffly. "You're no use sitting aboard. Here," and in an act unheard of, he stepped aside and handed the wheel over to Trini.  
Trini simply stared at him. "R-Really?" she asked.  
"Well, go on!" Jack said sternly. "Or we'll wander off course."  
Trini took the wheel tentatively, getting a feel for the power that holding it meant. Soon she grasped it firmly, grinning like mad. Jack stood off to the side watching her proudly. He intervened only to help her make minor corrections in their course; she was so caught up in the fact that she was finally, after so many years of longing, steering the Black Pearl, that she often slipped a bit.  
"Here, love," Jack said, putting his hands gently over hers and turning the wheel to the left. "See how the wind takes 'er? You've got to make sure you take the wind to mind; she's tricky. Changes on you faster 'an you can say 'rum'. Speaking of, where's the rum, Gibbs?"  
"Fresh out, Cap'n," Gibbs said, holding his flask upside down.  
"Not to worry, mate; got my own," Jack said with a grin. He swaggered off towards his cabin, obviously going to fetch some rum.  
"Jack!" Trini cried. He turned around. "Are you just going to leave me here?"  
Jack looked around, feigning puzzlement. "You've got 'er, love," he said. "Just make sure you don't hit the rocks or crash into the docks, savvy?" He turned again and sauntered into his cabin, closing the door firmly behind him.  
Trini looked over at Gibbs. "Keep 'er a little to the left, lass," he advised. "Don't worry, 'e won't stay away for long. Loves Tortuga, Jack Sparrow does."  
"So I've heard," Trini said. "Is that where he met my mother?"  
Gibbs looked like she'd asked him to tie his own hands and jump overboard.  
"Oh, come off it," she snapped. "I've got to have a mother. I used to think it was Ana, but I don't look a thing like her. Or Jack for that matter, but I suppose it's because I look like my mother."  
Gibbs recovered himself and shook his head. "Nay, your mother n'er set foot in Tortuga," he said. And that was all. Trini didn't ask anything else, frankly because she didn't care. She'd never had need for a mother, and she didn't see reason to upset the first mate by pressing him with questions. Whether or not she was his daughter, Trini had Jack's logic.  
About two hours later, Jack was at the wheel again, and the Pearl was pulling into port at Tortuga. The men were gathered on deck waiting eagerly. When Jack had tied the ship off nicely, he instructed them to meet back on deck in two days to set sail again for the Isla de Muerta.  
Trini, Jack, Gibbs, and AnaMaria stood back and watched the crew dissipate into the chaos that was Tortuga. "To the nearest pub then, Jack?" Gibbs asked eagerly.  
"Aye," Jack said. "Just a moment." He opened his coat and fumbled around at his belt for something. After a moment he pulled a short sword off his belt, where it had been hidden by his coat, and handed it to Trini. "You might need it, love," he said, flashing a grin.  
Trini grinned and fastened the sword to her own belt. "Let's go!" she cried, delighted. Somehow, no matter how drunk he seemed, Jack always knew exactly what she was saying. She'd been babbling a few weeks ago about finding a good sword; he'd never allowed her one, and she thought it was high time that changed. She was seventeen, after all.  
Jack, AnaMaria, and Gibbs all ambled along the streets of Tortuga as easily as they walked about the Pearl. But Trini, who had very rarely set foot on land, was shaking and stumbling at every turn. Jack supported her with one arm and held off the raving drunks with another. Trini looked like she fit right in.  
When finally they reached the nearest pub, Jack went off to get drinks while the other three sat down at the table furthest away from the loud brawl that seemed to always be going on.  
Jack returned with four large mugs of rum and banged them down on the table. Whatever else he had denied her, Jack had always allowed Trini to drink. Only way she'd ever be able to hold her liquor, he said. And the only way to teach her to survive would be to let her go on raids with him, she would argue. He always waved her off.  
The four of them slammed their mugs together before drinking heartily. In fact, they drank heartily for most of the night. Three mugs later, the bartender was sitting at their table and chatting amicably with Jack; obviously, they were old friends.  
"Ain't seen ye for nigh se'en years, Jack," said the bartender, whose name was Walker.  
"Been occupied," Jack replied, his words more slurred than usual. "'ere and there, you know."  
"Last I 'eard you'd crippled Flynn's fleet. Docked 'ere for repairs nigh on a month. Damn man, 'e's a sour one, 'e is."  
"Took from him a few thing 'e didn't need," Jack drawled. "Valuable items of a sensitive nature," he added with a grin.  
"Aye!" said Walker, crashing his mug against Jack's again. Bartenders always thought the same thing about plunder that wasn't gold or silver: women.  
"Jack!" AnaMaria said warningly. Jack glanced at Trini, but she was oblivious; half-drunk and trying to figure out a riddle Gibbs had told her ten minutes ago.  
"'ear about Port Royal lately, Jack?" Walker asked, drawing Jack's attention back to him. He knew the pirate had had a history in that area; the story was practically legend by now.  
"What about it?" Jack asked casually.  
"It's been left.er.bereft," Walker said with a maliciously drunken grin. "Ye know how crazed folks there are about catchin' pirates. Well they got a little too crazed and sent out their entire naval fleet to meet a couple o' ships comin' in for a raid. Only 't'wasn't just a couple o' ships. T'was about nine different ships-not a fleet, mind ye, several captains in the area who decided they wanted to break the port long enough to allow some raids before England sent over more defenses. Slaughtered 'em, every last one o' those damn navy men. That big shot in charge-Norton, or whatever 'is name was-went down last of all. Can't rightly remember who it was who 'ad the pleasure, but I 'eard it from one o' the men who'd been there. Sailin' back and decided to port and 'ave a bit o' fun, they did. Good for business, that."  
Jack had stopped listening. His mind was working rapidly, despite the drink. Port Royal was open. For the first time in history, he could sail his ship right into Port without the slightest resistance. Seven years ago, he would be on the ship, heading for the port right then. But now, a return to Port Royal meant something entirely different.  
Jack could no longer deny that Trini was anyone but Elizabeth and Will's daughter. She looked exactly like her mother; she resembled Elizabeth so much that it took him a moment every time he looked at her to remember to call her Trini. Though it was never at the forefront of his mind, Jack knew that it wasn't right to keep Trini and have sent no word to Elizabeth or Will. But he had figured that after seven years, she had become his daughter. She loved the Pearl as much as he did, and it was for that reason that he had stopped thinking of her as someone else's child. She was his, and he would let her join him. He had kept her away from the raids, from sword fighting, from being corrupted with the thought that eventually she would go back to Will and Elizabeth. But the thought had been erased. It had been too long. Trini would never know any home but the Black Pearl and the open seas.  
But now.with Port Royal accessible, he had no excuse but the slight doubt that she might not be a Turner. Every time he looked at her, that doubt was erased.  
Too troubled to drink much more-and that was troubled indeed-Jack stood up and dropped a few coins on the table. "Good to see you," he said to Walker. AnaMaria and Gibbs stood up while Jack helped Trini up. She took his arm, and the four of them walked in somewhat of a straight line out of the pub and to the docks, where they boarded the Pearl again. Jack never liked to sleep anywhere but the Pearl if he could help it; he'd taken to it since Trini could never leave. AnaMaria and Gibbs, his closest friends and most loyal supporters, were never far from his side.  
Gibbs stumbled into his cabin after bidding them a mumbled good night. Trini beamed at AnaMaria and Jack and babbled something about monkeys before she made her way below decks to her living quarters. When she'd arrived seven years ago, the crew had moved out of a small corner of the galleys, and Trini had made up a little room there. AnaMaria had insisted it be curtained off, as long as she was with the crew, and Jack had been swift to oblige once she had told him why.  
AnaMaria opened her mouth to tell Jack good night and go down to her own bed when he suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her into his cabin.  
"What the hell's in your head?" she hissed, yanking her wrist away from him roughly.  
Jack sank onto his bed and sighed. "Did you hear?" he asked her. "About Port Royal."  
AnaMaria nodded. "And?" she prompted.  
Jack stood up, swaying a bit. "And I've got to bloody take her there! You know bloody well she's a Turner! I can't know that and not take her back to them!"  
"Jack," AnaMaria said gently. He looked up; she was never gentle, not to him. "She doesn't remember a thing. All she knows is her life here, with you. If you take her back, who's to say she'll be happy? All they know is that she was kidnapped by pirates. It's been seven years. They've probably buried the memory of her and moved on. D'ye want to go and drag it all back up again? D'ye want her taken away?"  
"Does it look like I bloody do?" Jack cried irritably. "But it's Will, for God's sake! And Elizabeth! This is their child we're talking about."  
"She's your daughter, too, Jack," AnaMaria said. "You raised her. She's a Sparrow, not a Turner."  
Jack sank onto the bed again. "D'you think I want to give her back?" he asked her, looking up with bloodshot eyes. "I've spent me life robbin' people of every treasure they've got. But not these people."  
"Trini's not one o' your gold coins or fancy goblets, Jack!" AnaMaria cried. "She's not treasure you can barter with!"  
Jack gave her his infamous, ironic grin. "Not all treasure's silver and gold," he said. He'd said it once before. But that had been more than seventeen years ago.  
AnaMaria sighed. When Jack had set his mind to something, there was no changing it. No matter how he adored Trini, he would never knowingly take her away from Elizabeth and Will-the first people he had ever cared about. She made for the door. "You know it's not your choice, in the end," AnaMaria said quietly. "It's hers. Whether she wants to be some fine an' fancy lass in some grand mansion or a pirate on the open sea. And you know better than I, Trini Sparrow's no lady. She's a pirate." 


	3. Home

Chapter Three: Home  
  
"Jack, I thought you said we were sailing for the Isla de Muerta!" Trini cried as she stood by her father at the helm two days later. Jack had ordered the crew to turn around immediately after they'd made it out of the port at Tortuga. The crew had stopped their work and looked at him oddly, but Gibbs had ordered them on fiercely, and they were now about their work, changing their course to head for Port Royal.  
"Yes, love, but I've got some business to take care of first," Jack replied, checking his real compass.  
"What sort of business?" Trini pressed. She was anxious; this would be the first time she'd be able to leave the ship and see the fabled treasure that belonged to her father.  
"I've got a few old friends to check in on, lass. Now go on and take the next watch. And send AnaMaria over if ye see 'er."  
Trini glared at him; she knew he wasn't telling her everything, and she despised it. She was seventeen, he'd given her a sword, decided to allow her on raids. That meant she should be allowed to know his mind, didn't it? She huffed and climbed the ropes hastily to take her watch, purposely ignoring AnaMaria when she walked by.  
AnaMaria knew anyway. She made a path straight for Jack and accosted him at the wheel. "And how d'ye expect to get 'er to them? Walk right into Port Royal? Dressed like that?"  
"'Course not, love," Jack replied absently. "D'ye have anything for her to wear? One o' them dress things?"  
"You know bloody well I don't," AnaMaria snapped. "We shouldn't 'ave left Tortuga without finding a disguise."  
"No need," Jack said. "I've snuck into the port before, I can do it again. Only this time, we're rid of that bloody Norrington. No worries, love. Just tell the men no plundering, will ye? Probably nothing left."  
AnaMaria muttered something under her breath and stalked back off to the deck. Gibbs remained by his captain's side, swigging from his now-full flask. "Takin' the girl back, then?"  
"Aye," Jack replied, turning the wheel slightly.  
"Bloody shame," Gibbs said, taking a large gulp of rum. "Would've made a fine pirate, that lass."  
"Gibbs, don't you 'ave something to be doing?" Jack asked pointedly.  
"I don't know what---I mean aye! Yes, I'll be goin' to do that, Cap'n," Gibbs said, changing his mind when Jack looked away from the wheel for the first time. He lifted his flask to his lips again and wandered off to find someone to yell at. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
"Is that it?" Trini asked, pointing out over Jack's shoulder. Nearly two days later, she stood with him at the helm again, unable to stay angry for long.  
"Aye," Jack said grimly. "Port Royal, love. Folks are hell-bent on keepin' pirates away."  
"Then what are we doing?" Trini demanded.  
"Their navy 'ad a little run-in with some pirates a week or so ago," Jack replied. "We'll sail straight into port and no one'll stop us."  
Trini's face lit up. "Do I get to come ashore at last?" she begged.  
Jack nodded. "Aye, love," he said, though she thought he sounded more serious than he usually did before a raid. Almost sad.  
An hour or two later, they were docked in Port Royal, the only ship in the harbor for the time being. The crew assembled on deck to await their orders.  
Jack stood up with Trini at his side. "The lass and I are to go ashore," he said. "Everyone else, stay aboard. There's naught left to take 'ere, anyway. I shall be back in a few hours."  
With that, Jack and Trini made their way down the gangplank and slipped into the broken town that was Port Royal. Only a few quiet souls wandered the streets; doors were kept locked and windows firmly shut as of late.  
"Where are we going?" Trini asked as she followed Jack into a forest at the edge of the town. "Why isn't the rest of the crew coming? Jack?"  
"Hush, love," Jack said, beating his way forward through the brush. "All in good time. We've got to find it, first."  
"Find what?"  
"You'll see, lass! Now stop asking questions and come along."  
Trini closed her mouth and followed Jack as he cut swiftly through the jungle-like forest and emerged at the bottom of a grassy hill.  
"There," he said, pointing to the top of the hill. "That's it, I suppose."  
Trini looked up. A rather large house, though not a mansion by any means, sat atop the hill. It was painted a sort of white that was blue at the same time. A small garden of white flowers filled the space behind it, before the hill dropped down.  
"That's where we're going?" she said, utterly puzzled. "But Jack---"  
But Jack was already climbing the hill. Trini gave an exasperated sigh and followed him, making her way up nimbly and catching him. They leaned against the wall of the house to rest.  
"Now," Jack began. "I'm going in through the window there." He waved his hand dramatically at the window on his right. "You stay 'ere. Stay low and make sure you're not seen. When I call, you come in through the window. And---er---no swords, love. This man in 'ere---" again he waved his hand at the window. "Only person who almost bested me at the sword. So, stay low, come in through the window, savvy?"  
"Aye," Trini said, sighing.  
"Good," Jack said with a shadow of his old grin. He slid the window open and stepped through, brushing aside the long curtains. He was in the master bedroom, obviously. It was devoid of people.  
Jack swaggered to the door and opened it. No one in the hallways. He walked out to the banister and called down to the lower level, "'Ello! Anyone home?"  
His voice echoed throughout the house, but no one answered. He made his way down the stairs, stopping to admire a vase at the bottom. Peering out the front windows through the lace curtains, he saw three people coming up the walkway: a tall man that was obviously Will, then Elizabeth, looking as beautiful as she always had and wearing the most impossible gown. She was leading a small boy by the hand; he had dark hair like Will's, and he seemed to be chattering about something. They were all smiling.  
It was then that Elizabeth happened to look up and caught sight of a face in the window. She stopped abruptly and pointed at the window. Will looked up and saw a face as well. He ordered his wife and son to stand back, and then he marched up the walk and flung open the door, pistol in hand.  
Jack jumped away from the window and held his hands up. "Will!" he cried. "Good to see you."  
"Jack!" Will cried in surprise. He lowered the pistol slightly. "What are you doing here? How did you get in?"  
"What? Can't a man pay a visit to 'is dearest friends around 'ere? And you really should lock your windows, son."  
Will laid the pistol on an end table and motioned for Elizabeth and the boy to come inside. Elizabeth came in slowly and nearly jumped out of her shoes when she saw Jack standing at the foot of her stairs.  
"'Ello, Elizabeth, darling," he greeted her, grinning madly.  
"Jack! What---Will?" she said, looking back and forth between the two of them.  
"It's all right," Will said, shaking his head. The child came in and looked up at Jack, awestruck.  
"William, why don't you go on upstairs, now?" Elizabeth said, giving her young son a push towards the stairs. He went slowly, throwing glances at Jack over his shoulder. Jack grinned and waved at him.  
"I'll get some tea," Elizabeth said, a puzzled look still on her face as she made for the kitchen.  
Will began walking for the parlor. Jack followed him, stopping every once and a while to examine a painting, a piece of furniture, or the carpet.  
"Nice place you've got 'ere," he said, draping himself over one of the parlor chairs. Elizabeth entered carrying a tea tray.  
"So, what did you say was your business here?" Elizabeth asked, seating herself next to Will.  
"Just in the neighbor'ood," Jack said, looking curiously at the tealeaves in his cup. "Decided to drop by. That boy, 'e's yours?"  
"No, we stole him," Will said. Jack looked up sharply, and Will pulled a face. "Of course he's ours."  
"Ah," Jack said, tapping his own nose. "Right. Didn't know you could do it, mate. Kid's not a eunuch, is 'e?"  
"What is it you want, Jack?" Elizabeth chimed in. "You haven't just 'dropped by' in the last decade."  
"So, you've got just the boy, then?" Jack ploughed on, ignoring Elizabeth. "Only child? Just one? That's all?"  
Jack noticed how both Will and Elizabeth tensed at this last question. "Yes," Will said finally. "Only one."  
"No daughters, eh?" Jack pressed.  
A suspicious light came into Will's eyes. "We had a daughter," he said slowly. "She'd be about seventeen now. But we lost her, when she was ten."  
"Ah. Dead, then?"  
"No," Elizabeth said bitterly. "She was kidnapped. Seven years ago, when Will and I made our trip to England. A pirate fleet made a raid on Port Royal and kidnapped Trinity en route from my father's house to the fort."  
"Ah," Jack said, quite calmly though every hope he still held to had been crushed. "Yes, that would've been Captain Adrian Flynn's fleet. Nasty man, Flynn. I met 'is flagship in battle about three weeks after that raid. There was a lad aboard. Reminded me at first an awful lot of you, Will. Then I saw t'wasn't a lad at all."  
Will and Elizabeth exchanged glances and then looked back at Jack. "Do you know something about---about what happened to her?" Will asked.  
Jack stood up, an ironic smile playing on his face. "Let's just say, I've come to return something I believe belongs to you," he said.  
He stood and made his way back to the foot of the stairs and called out loudly, "Aye! Trini! C'mon inside lass!"  
He turned back to Will and Elizabeth and sauntered back into the parlor, keeping the doors open so they could see the figure that ran down the stairs.  
A moment later, Trini Sparrow, clad in black breeches, a white shirt, men's boots, her long brown curls tied back tightly and bearing a sword at her hip, clambered down the stairs of the Turner household. She jumped down the last three steps, spotted Jack in the parlor and swaggered in.  
It was then that Elizabeth first saw her face. She stood up quickly and breathed, "Trinity!" Dizzy and gasping for breath, Elizabeth sank bank into her chair, Will kneeling at her side, trying to decide whether to look at his wife or daughter.  
"Are you all right, Elizabeth?" he asked her finally.  
"Fine!" Elizabeth gasped, sitting up and staring intently at the girl in front of her. "Oh---oh." She covered her face with her hands, tears leaking through her fingers.  
Will stood up. He could help himself no longer. "Where did you find her?" he demanded of Jack.  
"I told you, mate," Jack replied. "Aboard Flynn's flagship, the Grim Lady."  
"But you said that was three weeks after the raid!" Will shouted. "Have you kept her all this time and not sent word?"  
Trini glanced around the room, from Jack to Will to the sobbing Elizabeth. "What's going on, Jack?" she asked.  
"'Old on, 'old on," Jack said, holding up his hands to Will and Trini. "Everyone just calm down, now. Sit down, lad. Trini, take a seat, love. Let's sort this all out, now."  
Will sank into the chair beside Elizabeth, who had lifted her head and was now staring at her daughter intently. "She looks just like I imagined," she breathed to Will, never taking her eyes off Trinity.  
Will looked at Elizabeth and then back at Trinity, who was slouched in a chair, wearing pirate garb and glaring sourly at Jack. "Are you ill, darling?" he asked.  
Elizabeth ignored him. "You found her on---on that Flynn's ship?" she asked Jack.  
"Aye," Jack said, glad for Elizabeth's grateful tone. "Dressed like a lad, she was. Hair cut short and all. Flynn was 'oping for a ransom, I suppose. Well, I bested 'im, and I looked at 'er and I knew she was yours. Just look," he said, waving his arms over Trini's head. "She looks just like ye, Elizabeth."  
"If you knew she was our daughter, why didn't you bring her back immediately?" Will demanded, fury rising in his voice.  
"Now, now, lad," Jack said. "I couldn't come runnin' me ship into Port Royal what with all the new guards since Flynn's raid. Did you want to see her next at the hangman's noose? Nay, so I took 'er aboard until t'was safe to come back."  
Trini had been listening intently to the exchange. She sat up abruptly. "What d'you mean to say, Jack?"  
"I mean, love," he said, turning to her. "That these 'ere are your real parents. Ye knew, love, t'wasn't me, or AnaMaria, for that matter. Don't you remember the Lady, even a bit?"  
Trini's mind was whirling. "No!" she cried, jumping to her feet. "I don't remember anything! I don't want to, I don't! Jack, let's go back to the Pearl! We've got to go back, now! You said you'd take me, you promised!"  
Jack stood as well. "Now, love, 'ow was I to know this'd come up? You know I'd take ye, but you don't belong on the Pearl any longer. 'Ere's your father, 'is name's Will Turner. Right good chap, your dad," he said, nodding at Will. "Best swordsman in the Caribbean---excepting yours truly, of course."  
Will pulled a face. "Jack, did you never tell her?"  
Trini tried to push past Jack, but he held her fast. "He never told me a bloody thing!" she shrieked. "And I wish I didn't know! Why can't I go back, why?"  
"Because you belong, here, love, like I said," Jack replied, the smile gone from his face. "Will and Elizabeth are good people, lass. They'd 'ave to be, or else I'd never 'ave brought you back. Listen, Trini."  
She looked up. He never addressed her by name; it was always "love" or "lass", "darling" or "girl". Her eyes were watering, and she wished she could hide it from Jack.  
But he was looking a bit misty himself. The infamous Jack Sparrow, standing in a high-class parlor, holding fast to a girl he had called his daughter for the past seven years, was trying not to cry. "It's been fun, love," he said finally. "But you were born to better people than me, to have a better life. Stay 'ere. This is where you belong."  
And with that, he let go of her, tipped his hat to Elizabeth, who sat stock-still in her chair, and made for the stairs.  
"No!" Trini shrieked, trying to follow him. But a new pair of arms held her, and she found herself trapped again. Will was just as strong as Jack, even if he didn't look it. Jack didn't even give her a backwards glance as he made his way up the stairs and, presumably, out the bedroom window through which he had come.  
Trini collapsed to the floor, her entire world crumbled around her. Everything she had known to be true and right was gone; she was banished from the open sea, from the Pearl, from Jack, from the only life and family she had ever known or loved. And to her surprise, these strangers who were her parents knelt and comforted her. To have Will's strong arms around her was to have Jack again, helping her up the ropes for her watch. Elizabeth's soothing words became the tales Jack had told her on so many late nights, when she fell asleep listening to him at the helm. She had no doubt that these were her parents, for she felt as though she was looking in a mirror when she looked at Elizabeth, and Will's eyes were her own. But try as she might, she could not bring herself to want them, to want this house, to want the life she had been born into. All she had ever wanted was to live aboard the Black Pearl forever and a day. 


	4. From Trini to Trinity

Chapter Four: From Trini to Trinity  
  
AN: Aww, thanks SO much to all my reviewers! It's so cool to know that people are actually reading this! I've got an idea of where it's going, I'm just not 100% sure how I'm going to get there. And yes, Will does get on a ship again. =^) This has been by far my favorite chapter to write.there's a little bit more humor and I enjoy the idea of the parallels at the end between Trinity and.well, you'll see! =^) ~Ellie~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Jack boarded the Black Pearl after leaving Trini to the Turners and was greeted by AnaMaria and Gibbs. They saw in him a solemn air that had not been present in all the time he had been their captain.  
"Tis done, then?" AnaMaria asked quietly.  
"Aye," Jack said. And he said only that of the return of Trinity Turner to her parents. "Make ready to sail," he said to Gibbs, and then he retired to his cabin for the remainder of the day. Even when the Black Pearl began to steer towards the Isla de Muerta, he remained locked in his cabin, lying on his back in bed, occasionally drinking from the rum bottle on the table. And that was how he remained for many days to come. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
Word of Trinity Turner's rescue from the dangerous pirates that had held her captive for seven years spread like wildfire around the tiny town of Port Royal. When people dared venture out of their houses, it was to pass along the news or to call on the Turners. Though they accepted congratulations, they would see no one, not even Governor Swann, until Trinity had "adjusted to civilized life again", as Will put it.  
Trinity herself was not ready to adjust to civilized life. When Elizabeth had gone out one day and returned with two lads behind her carrying boxes, Trinity had been curious. But her curiosity turned to horror when she found the boxes brimming with petticoats, gowns, corsets, stockings, bonnets, shoes, and gloves. Trinity had not worn a gown since she was ten years old, and to her memory, she had never worn one at all. She found the entire ensemble incredibly restricting, for she had never been restricted in clothing.  
One day, she was practicing walking up and down the stairs without tripping, for she had grown restless and could sit in her room no longer. She overheard Will and Elizabeth talking in the hall and could not resist listening in.  
"She's been brought up as a pirate," Elizabeth was saying. "With no manners, no grace, no sense of propriety. You know Jack, I'm sure he let her do whatever she wanted."  
"He gave her a sword, anyway," Will said. "A short, broad blade. Practically ancient; I wonder where he got it---"  
"Will, we are not discussing Jack's choice of weapons," Elizabeth said curtly. "Even if he did give them to our daughter. We're talking about the horrors she must have seen. I'm sure he let her go on raids and---and kill people and threaten and steal and---"  
Trinity was not used to holding her peace. "He never let me go on a raid!" she cried out, falling down the stairs as she took a step and tripped over her gown again. She stood up gracelessly and hitched her gown above her knees in order to walk down the hall to her parents. "He never let me have a sword until a week ago," she added. "He never let me leave the ship when they went plundering. And I've never killed anyone, or seen anyone killed."  
Will and Elizabeth simply gazed open-mouthed at her for a moment. "That's," Will began. "That's---wonderful." An awkward silence followed; Will and Elizabeth were slightly embarrassed to have been caught talking about Trinity. Especially since neither of them would have thought she'd burst in on the conversation.  
"I've got to be at the shop for a while," Will said finally, reaching for his coat from the stand in the hallway. He kissed Elizabeth's cheek lightly and made for the door.  
"Wait!" Trinity called, dropping her skirts and turning quickly. Will paused and looked at her curiously. "Take me with you!" she begged. "I---I can't stay in that room any longer. I've got to walk. Please?"  
Will and Elizabeth exchanged nervous glances. Trinity's hopes were dashed; she knew she'd only embarrass him if she went. "I know," she said, sighing. "Sorry I asked."  
She gathered her skirts again and made for the stairs, but Elizabeth caught her arm. "Here," she said, shoving a bonnet into Trinity's hands. "And take care you don't lift your skirts in the streets."  
Trinity grinned and shoved the bonnet on over her now-pinned up curls. "Aye!" she said, a bit too loudly. Elizabeth grimaced, and Trinity corrected herself. "Yes," she said. "All right."  
Will offered his arm, and Trinity took it awkwardly. They made their way exceedingly slowly down the walk and onto the streets, and Trinity knew he was doing it for her sake. As much as she hated to admit it, life with the Turners was pleasant, if not exciting. Will and Elizabeth were kind, and despite their respectable appearances, they had a few wild tales of their own to tell. Trinity noted how Elizabeth laughed aloud, unlike most society women who restrained their amusement to a demure smile. Her mother's laugh made Trinity admire her more. And her father, though no Jack Sparrow, was handsome, friendly, and almost always smiling. It was he who told the tales at the supper table, causing Elizabeth to laugh and Trinity to be pleasantly surprised. Their son, William, was only five and already aspiring to be a sailor---one that fought with a sword, that is. William had inherited his father's love of swords, and he was always running about the yard with a stick, fighting invisible foes. Trinity laughed and watched him; she had no memory of doing the exact same thing.  
Will and Trinity took nigh an hour to reach Will's shop. In addition to the slow pace they kept in order to keep Trinity from plunging face- first into the road, they were stopped numerous times along the way by townspeople and friends who had heard of Trinity's return and wished to congratulate the father and welcome the daughter. Trinity met them all with what she hoped was a friendly smile, but she was relieved when they finally stepped over the threshold of the shop.  
Will closed the door and opened the windows to let the light in. Trinity was already looking around, the skirts of her gown draped over one arm. She approached one of the sword racks and examined the handles. She glanced back at Will, who had taken a long box down from a shelf and was examining and polishing the sword inside.  
"Jack said you were the best swordsman in the Caribbean," Trinity said abruptly, moving over towards him.  
Will smiled reminiscently. "I don't know about that," he said. "But I was crazy about sword fighting when I first met Jack. I practiced something like three hours a day."  
Trinity nodded and looked at the sword he was polishing. "Will you teach me?" she asked.  
Will looked up sharply, catching his daughter's eye. Her tone was pleading. He was torn; he'd love to teach her. He hadn't had anyone to practice with in ages. But she was seventeen, and a girl. And she'd been living with pirates for the past seven years. "I don't know if that's entirely appropriate," he said, looking back down at the weapon in his hands.  
But Trinity knew that wasn't the reply he had wanted to give. She cast her mind about for a suitable argument. "I won't drink!" she finally cried, having found something to barter with.  
Will gave her a puzzled look, and she continued. "I know you don't like it," she said. "And if you teach me the sword, I'll stop. I swear, nothing more than wine at supper."  
Will chuckled. "So that's where the rum in the parlor's been going?"  
Trinity nodded, feeling slightly sheepish. She held out her hand tentatively. "Do we have an accord?" she asked.  
Will took her hand, smiling, reminded strongly of Jack. "We do," he said. "Just don't tell Elizabeth."  
Trinity grinned and shook her father's hand heartily. "Agreed!" she said. "Can we start now?"  
Will shook his head. "Captain Norrington is coming in for his order," he said. "And it's daylight. You can come with me in the evenings; we'll practice then."  
Trinity ran her fingers over the smooth blade in the box. "Is this the order?"  
"It is," Will said. "Captain Norrington, the son of the late Commodore. He's young, but with all the navy men lost in the raid, they've started promoting some of the men of lower rank."  
"Is Commodore Norrington the one who almost married Elizabeth?" Trinity asked, remembering a story Will had told at supper a night or two ago.  
Will nodded. "He dedicated his life to his work for a long time after that," he said sorrowfully. "He married a widow with one son, about a year after that last raid. Henry Norrington is only nineteen, but he said at his father's funeral that he'll pick up where James left off." Will shook his head. "Looks like another ambitious Norrington for Port Royal."  
Trinity opened her mouth to ask a question, but a knock resounded on the door. "That'll be Captain Norrington," Will said. "Would you let him in, Trinity?"  
Trinity wasn't sure, but she thought she saw something of a mischievous smile playing on Will's face. She turned away from him suspiciously and pulled her skirts up to make her way to the door quickly. She was glad she remembered to drop them before she opened the door, however, because the young man on the other side certainly did not look as though he would be pleased to have been greeted by her stockings.  
In fact, he didn't look as though any greeting at all would suffice. He stood erect and proud at the doorway, removing his hat curtly when Trinity opened the door. "Ah, Miss Turner?" he asked, and without waiting for reply, added, "How lovely to make your acquaintance. I welcome you back to Port Royal."  
Trinity nodded, speechless. She moved aside and allowed him to enter. He walked brusquely to Will and bowed.  
Trinity closed the door and managed to move back to her father without tripping over her skirts. She kept her chin tilted down but made sure she could see young Norrington's face. He was a handsome man, by all means. His face was smooth and unlined by worldly cares, his limbs strong, his eyes sparkling as though behind his serious façade, a merry lad was bursting to come forth. Had Trinity known his father, she would have never thought them relatives upon studying Henry Norrington, for his surrogate father had never had a happy demeanor about him. And despite his strict front, Captain Norrington emanated the air of a happy man.  
"Good day, Captain," Will said cheerfully, opening the black sword box again. "I've your order. I hope you'll be pleased."  
Trinity watched as Norrington studied the blade, just as she had earlier. "Your work never disappoints, Mr. Turner," the captain replied, with a shadow of a smile. "This is indeed a beautiful sword."  
He looked up then, and found Trinity's eyes locked on him. She immediately cast her eyes down, embarrassed to have been caught looking at him. Unbeknownst to her, he let his eyes linger after she had looked away.  
"Well," he said after a moment. "I thank you, Mr. Turner. It has been a pleasure to meet you, Miss Turner." He bowed again and took the sword box Will handed him, turning sharply on his heel and exiting the shop.  
Will began putting away odds and ends strewn about his shelves. "Well?" he asked Trinity.  
"Well, what?" she asked hesitantly, examining another rack of swords.  
"Does he remind you of anyone?" Will prompted. "Perhaps his father? You knew Commodore Norrington, you know."  
Trinity shook her head. "I don't remember anything," she replied honestly. "He's nice, I suppose," she added, gathering that her father was looking for her thoughts on young Norrington. "He'll make a good captain."  
Will nodded. "He's James Norrington's son, through and through, even if not by blood," he said.  
Knowing about the young Norrington's father gave Trinity a connection to him; she felt as though they were both in the same boat. For no matter how she enjoyed living with the Turners, it could not be long before the novelty wore off. And then, she thought, she would be naught but a pirate maiden stuck in a lady's life.  
Will noticed nothing unusual about Trinity's thoughtfulness. He finished tidying up the shop and offered her his arm again. "Let's go home," he said, smiling. 


	5. Steel Blades and Deep Cuts

Chapter Five: Steel Blades and Deep Cuts  
  
AN: Thanks again to my reviewers! You guys have spurred some ideas that will help me get this story to end I want. For those looking out for Jack, you'll get an update on him in this chapter, though I try to stick mostly on what's happening with Trinity. Worry not, for there shall be Jack later. About Henry; in this chapter you'll see that he obviously has a bit of a thing for Trinity. That could or could not mean that she feels the same way about him; after all, she's been raised on a pirate ship. No experience in love at all. Anyways, it's a bit irrelevant, as I've already got the end figured out, but just a bit of a side note. Enjoy, and do review, it makes my day! =^) ~Ellie~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Watch your feet," Will said as he moved forward, the sword he held clashing against the one in his daughter's hand. It was late evening; night had fallen, and Will had taken his now nightly visit to his shop, Trinity tagging along for the fresh air. On this, the one-week mark of their agreement, Will had thought Trinity advanced enough to start a mock swordfight.  
Their evenings together had quickly become routine. Will had frequently visited his shop in the evening to meet customers or to finish up an order before retiring for the night, so the idea that he made daily trips was not unusual. Trinity had shown an affinity for the outdoors, and after the first two evenings, Elizabeth had stopped trying to argue her daughter's curfew. Once inside the shop, Will took care to lock the windows and door, light up the lanterns, and they had their lessons.  
Trinity had found her father to be an excellent teacher; although remarkably skilled, he never lost patience with her, taking her step-by- step through the basics of the sword. She had on the first night worn a gown; this proved a mistake. After that, Will had snuck a pair of breeches, boots, and a shirt into the shop and hidden them. He took his time locking the door while Trinity ducked into the back of the shop and changed behind a makeshift curtain, which Will removed every night.  
"Good," Will said, smiling, as Trinity changed her footing and neatly blocked his sword. "If the Navy's men were half the swordsmen you're going to be, perhaps we wouldn't need another fleet."  
Trinity grinned and dodged another blow. "Have you any word of when the new ships are to arrive?"  
"Not for another month or so, I gather," Will answered, moving aside deftly to avoid Trinity's blade. "It's a long passage from England, and the Navy had to find ships, supplies, and men to spare."  
"And when they arrive, what of the men here?"  
Will advanced, throwing a blow that Trinity barely managed to avoid. "I'm not sure. Some will stay, I suppose. Most will join the new fleet in seeking out local pirates." He turned around and made an easy move that Trinity should have easily blocked. Apparently, she was a bit stunned by what Will had just said---that, or she had lost her footing, which was a bit off---and she caught the blow on the hilt of the sword, grazing her third finger.  
She dropped the sword in surprise, and Will quickly lowered his and ran to her as though she'd been stabbed. He caught her hand and examined the shallow cut, from which crimson blood now flowed.  
"It'll be all right," he said, sounding relieved. "Just a scratch. Don't let your mother see, though."  
Trinity perched on a stool by a tall wooden table and watched Will bind up her finger. In doing so, she noticed her hands for the first time in many days. They were slowly losing their deep tan and becoming white and soft---a lady's hands. Trinity had always worked like one of the crew aboard the Pearl, and her hands showed it. Now, they were healing from being idle. And, if she had cared to look in a mirror, she would see that her face was paler as well; the ruddy tan was giving way to delicate white skin. Although she walked about as much as possible, her face was always covered when she was outside. Her transformation into a lady was almost complete, and she wasn't even aware.  
"There, good as new," Will said, releasing his daughter's hand. "We ought to be getting home, now." He plucked his coat from the back of a chair, noticing how warm it seemed in the shop. He'd had a rather invigorating evening; it had been years since he'd actually fought with a sword, and Trinity---green as she was---was a challenging opponent. He had his suspicions that although she claimed never to have been on a raid or to have seen battle, she must have seen something of a sword's use before leaving the Pearl.  
Trinity quickly changed back into her gown and stashed Will's breeches and shirt away, taking his arm and walking through the town and up the hill to the lighted house she had begun to call home. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
A knock resounded on the captain's cabin door---sometime in the late evening, Jack guessed, by the looks of the sky from his window. Before he could call out his permission, AnaMaria entered, wearing a frown that was somewhere between frustrated and sympathetic.  
"We're a day out from the Isla de Muerta," she told him flatly.  
Jack didn't even bother to sit up. "Good," he drawled lazily. "'ow's the crew keeping up?"  
"They're getting curious," AnaMaria snapped. "Aren't you ever going to take the wheel?"  
"Don't see the need, love," Jack replied, staring at the ceiling. "Gibbs knows the way as well as you and I."  
AnaMaria's frown turned into a scowl, and she was most definitely not sympathetic. She slammed the door and stalked over to Jack, grabbing his arm and hauling him up. He had barely made it to his feet when he nearly fell down again; AnaMaria could make his face smart worse than any man on the ship.  
"What the 'ell was that for?" he growled.  
"Snap out of it!" AnaMaria spat. "It's been too long, Jack! I know how ye were partial to the lass, but she's gone, and you've a crew and a ship to think of! What 'appened to needing only the Pearl? What about freedom? I know ye, Jack Sparrow, and no little girl can change you that much!"  
Jack sighed and glanced out his window. The sun had set; the horizon was dark and tantalizing. Just the way he liked it.  
"You're right, love," he said, glancing back at AnaMaria. She looked shocked; she never won arguments this easily. He grinned and walked past her and out of his cabin, onto the empty deck. The crew was below, eating, from the nature of the noise. The lookout glanced down and started to see his captain, out of his cabin for the first time in what seemed like forever. Jack Sparrow could never stay long from the wheel of his beloved ship.  
Gibbs gave a relieved smile when Jack approached him and wordlessly took the wheel. He arched his eyebrows at AnaMaria, who only crossed her arms and grinned, moving to stand behind Jack. The three of them stood there for the remainder of the night and never spoke a word. They needed no words. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
"Trinity!" Elizabeth called, bursting through the front door, holding onto her bonnet, looking flushed and windswept but pleased nonetheless. "Trinity!" she called again, dropping her basket in the hall for the maid to collect.  
Trinity emerged from the parlor where she had been gazing rather longingly at the cabinet that held the rum. "What is it?"  
Elizabeth grinned broadly. "Come, you must change your gown; we're to have a guest for supper!"  
Trinity made for the stairs, Elizabeth following her closely. "Who is it?" she asked, curious as to whom could send her mother into such a state.  
"Captain Norrington; Will said you've met him---at the shop, remember?" Elizabeth said, following Trinity into her bedchamber. "I bumped into him at the market; he was on his way to the fort. The men are so busy these days, doing whatever they can to rebuild the fort that I thought perhaps he'd like an evening of pleasant company. Come; where is that new gown?"  
"This one?" Trinity asked, reaching into the closet and extracting an extravagantly overdone gown.  
"Yes!" Elizabeth cried, her eyes sparkling with happiness. "You don't mind being overly dressed up, do you, darling?"  
Trinity shook her head nobly. Elizabeth practically squealed in delight and ran to call the maid, Darla.  
Half an hour later, Trinity was gazing at herself in the mirror and feeling like a complete fool. A fool who couldn't breathe. She was laced so tightly into her corset that she didn't know if she would be able to move. She had to admit the gown was beautiful; something the Queen herself would wear, or so Trinity thought. Her hair had been curled until it would curl no more and pinned fashionably to her head. Elizabeth stood behind her, admiring her daughter, looking perfectly happy. Trinity supposed these were moments her mother had longed for---a perfect, proper daughter preparing to dine with the new captain of a navy fleet.  
The door opened and closed in quick succession downstairs, and Elizabeth made for the door. "That must be Will," she said. "Come down when you're ready, Trinity."  
Trinity listened to her mother's footsteps down the stairs, heard her excited voice float throughout the house as she obviously informed Will of their dinner guest. Trinity smiled at Darla, who had moved to the door and now held it open for her young mistress. She tried to restrain herself from lifting her skirts and made her way slowly to the staircase.  
Will and Elizabeth looked up as Trinity began to descend the stairs. Elizabeth was beaming, but Will looked slightly surprised. A shocked smile spread across his face as he glanced from his wife back to his daughter.  
"You look---absolutely stunning, Trinity," he said at last. "But--- can you breathe?"  
Elizabeth glanced up nervously. "Oh, I hadn't even thought of that!" she cried in dismay. "Are you all right, darling?"  
"Fine," Trinity said drowsily. Was it only she or was the whole house beginning to spin?  
Will practically leapt up the stairs and caught her before she tumbled down. Elizabeth followed closely, now wringing her hands with worry.  
"Oh, I shouldn't have tried to dress her so!" she cried, holding Trinity's chamber door open for Will as he carried her in and set her gently on the bed. "Darla, fetch the smelling salts, would you?"  
"No, no," Will said, holding out his hand to the maid. "It's all right; she's awake."  
Trinity was indeed awake, fluttering her eyes open and looking about. She gasped when she realized what had happened and tried to sit up. "I'm sorry!" she cried. "I didn't mean to faint; I'm sure it's just that I don't know how to walk---"  
"No, no, it's my fault," Elizabeth said, perching on the bed. "I was too caught up in the idea of---of dressing you up, like some doll. I'd forgotten how I hate corsets as well. I wore one when I was a girl and fainted off the edge of the fort."  
"Like mother, like daughter," Will teased, smiling. Elizabeth took a playful swipe at his arm and turned back to Trinity.  
"Let's get you out of that, all right?"  
"Agreed!" Trinity said. Ten minutes later, she was dressed in another, less formal gown and completely without the corset, which Elizabeth had stuffed in the back of the closet.  
The three of them made their way downstairs, the smell of supper beginning to waft through the house from the kitchens. William greeted them at the foot of the stairs.  
"Mother!" he cried, reaching for Elizabeth's hand. "There's a man in the parlor!"  
"Is there?" Elizabeth said, heading for the parlor doors. Captain Henry Norrington stood just within, wearing a rare smile. He swept his hat off and bowed as Elizabeth and Will entered. He straightened when Trinity followed, managing a nod.  
"Good evening, Captain Norrington," Elizabeth said, smiling.  
"Please," Norrington said formally. "I would be honored if you would call me Henry, all of you. You have been kind enough to invite me to your home, after all, Mrs. Turner."  
"And it's Elizabeth," Elizabeth said. "And Will, and Trinity, if she permits." Elizabeth glanced over at Trinity, who made the slightest of nods.  
"How wonderful," Henry said, looking truly delighted. "I thank you."  
"Have you had much use out of that sword yet?" Will asked.  
"Not yet," Henry replied. "But I expect that when the new fleet arrives, I shall go out with the ships and cleanse the Caribbean of pirates."  
Will nodded, whether he approved or not. "And how is the reconstruction of the fort coming along?"  
"Rather well," said the young captain. "We've built up the front wall again, but it may be quite a while until it is fully functional again. Might I ask your help in forging new cell doors for the jail?"  
"Of course," Will replied. "Whenever I am needed."  
Henry nodded his thanks, and the doors opened. All four turned to see Darla enter. "Dinner is served, milady," she said quietly to Elizabeth.  
Supper followed in rather the same manner as the introductions in the parlor. Will and Henry did much of the talking, with Elizabeth interjecting to comment or to give her charming laugh. Trinity spoke little, trying to remember etiquette and trying to watch Henry as much as possible without being seen. For the life of her, she could not place why he so intrigued her. He was bent on killing pirates, with whom she was most at home. He was stiff and formal, which she found irritating. But, she thought, he was like her. He had been raised by a man who was not his father, he had taken this man's values, he had stepped into his shoes, and he had loved him. For that, Trinity gave him a second look.  
And, she had to admit, he was rather pleasant once he had unraveled. His formalities extended to strangers and new acquaintances, it seemed, for he talked amicably with the Turners, though always irritatingly polite and proper.  
Supper was nearing an end, and Trinity was sending Will pleading glances. He shook his head very slightly; he knew what she wanted, but with a guest, it would be not only impossible but indescribably rude for the two of them to slip away to the shop for sword fighting lessons. Trinity resigned herself to idleness for one evening.  
But she was not as idle as she had thought. The party had no sooner stood than young William asked his father, "Are you to go out again tonight, father?"  
Will shook his head at his son, and Elizabeth explained to Henry, "Will often goes to the shop in the evenings now, to finish orders. Trinity goes as well, as she enjoys the fresh air and walking."  
Henry's eyes seemed to light up. "Ah," he said happily. "Do not let me deprive you of your walk, Miss Turner. Allow me to escort you, if it would not be too bold."  
"No, not bold at all," Elizabeth said, looking absolutely delighted.  
Trinity stood, smiling and somewhat satisfied. If she would not best her father at sword, at least she would be out of doors. "Thank you," she said, taking the arm he offered her.  
Trinity allowed Henry to escort her down the now-familiar path and away from the village---towards the uninhabited areas of the island.  
"A beautiful night, is it not?" asked he.  
"Indeed," said she.  
"Do you enjoy life here, in Port Royal?" He looked at her, eagerly awaiting a response.  
"It is different, no doubt," she answered slowly. "And pleasant. I enjoy it, though I cannot say I am entirely adapted to it."  
"Ah," he mused. "That is to be expected." After a pause, he added, "If it is not too forward of me, Miss Turner, I would like to say that despite the horrors of your past I---I find you to be a very fine young lady."  
Trinity refrained from looking at him quizzically. She supposed he had just paid her a compliment, though she didn't quite understand it. "I thank you," she said at last. "Though I thought you intended to call me Trinity, Captain Norrington. I would be more at ease if you would do so."  
"Ah," said he, looking pleased. "As you wish---Trinity. No need for titles; Henry will do just as well."  
"Indeed," said she, and she took his arm once more and allowed him to escort her home, where Will and Elizabeth were waiting in the hallway.  
That night, Trinity slept with a smile on her face. 


	6. Memories

Chapter Six: Memories  
  
AN: Hello again! Just a note because I'm not sure if I make it clear or not; the timing with Trinity & Jack's adventures isn't exactly together. Jack isn't just arriving at the Isla de Muerta at the same time that Trinity is doing whatever in this chapter. Jack arrives a while before all the land-bound action happens. So it's kind of a flashback of sorts! Sorry about that. There will be a point in time, somewhere in the next chapter or so that the time does match up, but right now, Trinity's events are after what has happened to Jack. Whew.hope y'all can still read after that!! Thanks again to my reviewers; you're awesome! ~Ellie~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Land, ho!" came the cry of the lookout aboard the Black Pearl. The crew went into their usual, exciting scurrying to ready the ship to dock near the rocks. AnaMaria appeared at Jack's side.  
"There 'tis," she said.  
"Aye," Jack replied, and she thought she detected a faint smile on his face. Isla de Muerta was the only land that Jack could begin to think of as home---he lived and breathed the Pearl, but when he needed a break, the island was the one place he could go.  
"Drop canvas," Jack said casually to Gibbs, and the first mate, taking a swig from his flask, clamored onto the deck and repeated the order to the eager crew.  
Soon enough, they were leaving the ship and rowing purposefully into the caverns of the isle, where the great treasure hoarded by Barbossa's crew was kept. Jack, feeling himself the rightful owner of the treasure of Cortez, had no qualms about claiming the treasure of his former first mate. It had, of course, been aboard the Black Pearl at some point, and the Pearl was his.  
While the crew busied themselves with examining the treasure around the caves and stowing it into their empty bags and chests, Jack found himself drawn up the mound of gold to the stone chest that sat majestically atop the rest of the treasure. AnaMaria and Gibbs exchanged looks and then followed him.  
Jack stared intently at the chest. He ran his hands lightly over the ancient engravings. How he would have liked to fling open the lid, take out a coin, and condemn himself forever. He couldn't explain the feeling, but his heart screamed out for him to immortalize himself. He wondered if immortals had emotions.  
"Jack," AnaMaria said, and that was all he needed. He withdrew his hands. He was already cursed; he needed none of the coins.  
"Load up, love," he said, turning to face her. He nodded at Gibbs. "And tell the men to set up camp for a few days. We've no immediate destination."  
"Aye," Gibbs said, and he set off to enlighten the crew.  
Jack made his way down to the floor of the caves again, followed by AnaMaria. He reached down to the mound of gold and scooped up a handful of coins, gazing at them thoughtfully, sifting them through his fingers and letting them drop back to their mates, enjoying the sound of metal upon metal. He was smiling again.  
"Jack?" AnaMaria said inquisitively. "Are you all right?"  
Jack turned and gave her his famous grin for the first time in many days. "Just fine, love," he replied. "Just fine." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
"We'd better call it a night," Will said to his daughter. She had nearly beaten him in their second fight of the evening, and he wasn't sure he wanted to continue any further. She might catch a second wind. He sheathed his sword and placed it carefully on the rack, taking her as well when Trinity went to change back into her gown.  
Will opened a window facing away from the street; it was a warm night, and they could use a bit of fresh air. The wind blew in softly and cooled his face. He sighed and moved back from the wall, waiting for Trinity.  
She emerged a moment later, clad in her gown and holding his now-worn shirt and breeches. "Do you hear that?" she asked, giving him a puzzled look.  
"Hear what?" he asked, taking the clothes from her and stowing them beneath a shelf.  
"That sound," she mused, moving closer to the open window. "I thought I heard it before, but now that the window's open, it's louder."  
Will made for the window as well. He listened for a moment and heard nothing but the wind. "Are you sure?"  
Trinity nodded. "It sounds like---like---"  
But suddenly Will heard it, too---as did the rest of Port Royal. A great booming rang through the air followed by an enormous crash.  
"Canon fire!" Will shouted, slamming the window shut and pulling Trinity to the floor.  
"I knew it!" she gasped as they crouched against the wall, trying to stay out of reach of heavy objects. "I thought it sounded familiar."  
"Your ears are trained better than mine," said her father, cringing as another crash rang through the town, and shouts began to rise from the streets. "No one but a trained sailor could recognize canon fire so far from its target."  
Trinity looked anxiously at her father. "Are we not going back home?"  
Will shook his head. "William and Elizabeth will be safe," he said. "On every one of these raids, not one pirate has come inside our gate. They see the name 'Turner' on the gate and move on. Partly Jack's doing, I suppose, but partly mine. I'll trade with a pirate, if I know him. I suppose that's spread; the only British blacksmith in the Caribbean who will do business with pirates."  
Trinity smiled. "Well, I'm glad you do," she said. "But in that case, can we not just walk out of here?"  
"No," said her father. "It's not me they recognize; it's the name. We'll be safer here; not much to steal in a blacksmith's shop."  
Trinity sighed and sat all the way down, not caring if her gown was dirty. "Why would they raid now, when the fleet is on the way and the town is almost empty?"  
Will shrugged. "Pirates," he said with a wry smile. "You'd know better than I would."  
Trinity shook her head. "Jack only made raids when we needed to," she said quietly. "When we were too far from home---the Isla de Muerta, that is- --and too in need. There was never this reckless plundering and killing; he had his own treasure. He was a good man, even if he was a pirate."  
Silence lapsed around them for a moment before Will voiced the thought that Trinity had kept silent. "And a good father," he said with a slight smile. "I admit, I wouldn't have thought it of Jack if you weren't the way that you are. But you're a fine lady, Trinity, and that credit goes more to Jack than to Elizabeth or me. No matter how you dress, you can never mask who you are. You're good, Trinity; you always have been."  
Trinity gave Will a weak smile. It was the first time she had openly discussed her past since she had been at Port Royal, other than mentioning it in passing. The pain of remembering had been too great, but now she could feel it ebbing away. She was settling into her life here, though somewhere in the depths of her heart, her soul was crying to be free again. She was torn between the love she had always held for Jack and for the sea and the love that was growing in her for Will and Elizabeth and her tiny brother William and even a certain young captain who had been accidentally running into her more and more as the weeks progressed. Though she wasn't sure if she could call that love---she had only ever loved her family; caring for someone her age was a different matter entirely.  
Trinity was jerked from her reverie by the sound of a canon firing once more, though this time the crash did not come immediately afterwards.  
"Do you suppose it landed in the w---" Trinity began, but she was cut off by the deafening crash of a canon ball hurling through the opposite side of the shop.  
Trinity felt as though time was moving in slow motion. She could hear the glass breaking as she was thrown sideways across the room. A great cracking came next, and she felt a crushing blow across her head. Then all was silent as her limp body lay on the ground.  
But all was not dark, as when a person faints. Trinity could see shining pictures in her mind; a tiny girl in a messy blue gown and brown curls leaping about a flourishing garden and brandishing a stick. A design stitched into fabric suspended in the air, a young woman in a maid's garb bursting through a doorway and calling for the young girl again, now dressed in a nightgown. The face of an old man as he spoke to a younger man in military costume. The young girl and the maid again, moving deftly through the streets of a town at night. A foul-tempered man kicking a young and dirty lad aboard a ship and then---then Jack's face as he hovered above her. She saw him as clearly as she had seen Will only moments before. And at the back of her slowly dulling mind, Trinity knew that girl in the blue gown with the long brown curls. She knew that dirty wretch on the ship. In her last moments of consciousness, she knew that the little girl who had leapt about her grandfather's gardens was none other than herself.  
And then everything went black. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
Elizabeth Turner ran deftly through the streets of Port Royal on the gloomy morning after the night's raid. She had locked all the doors and left William in Darla's care, for she had urgent matters to attend to. Her husband and daughter had not returned from the shop the previous night. They had been there, or on their way back, she guessed, when the raid began, but despite the safety ensured to them, neither had returned. She ran to the fort, or what was left of it, in search of Captain Henry Norrington, who was organizing the care for the wounded and the rebuilding-- -again---of the fort.  
The wind was blowing again today. She clutched desperately to the bonnet on her head and held her skirts in order to move more quickly. There was no propriety in her manner this morning.  
Upon arriving at the entrance of the fort, she soon spotted the familiar figure of Henry Norrington, talking seriously with another man who was nodding at his every word. Elizabeth dashed to him, stepping around holes where rock was missing in the ground and over the injured lying on the cobblestones.  
"Captain Norrington!" she cried desperately. "Captain Norrington, may I have a moment?"  
Henry turned to her, his face grave. "Ah, Mrs. Turner," he said. "How good to see you safe. Is---is something wrong?"  
"Yes," Elizabeth gasped. "It's Will and Trinity. They were out walking or---or at the shop last night, and they never came home. I thought- --I thought perhaps you'd had word? Are they among the injured, Captain?"  
Norrington's face visibly paled, and Elizabeth felt her heart speed up desperately. "No, Elizabeth," said he. "They are not among the injured." And he turned on his heel and began to walk quickly away from her.  
Elizabeth felt faint. She gathered the strength to run after him. "Captain!" she cried. "Tell me; are they---are they---"  
"They are missing," replied the captain. "No one has yet searched the wreckage of your husband's shop."  
"Wreckage?" Elizabeth breathed. "What do you mean by 'wreckage'?"  
"Canon fire," said he. "One of the canons was being fired from the bow of the ship. Its aim was bad, and the missile went askew, crashing sensationally through your husband's shop. You---Carter, Jones!"  
Two young soldiers snapped to attention. "Yes, sir!" they cried in unison.  
"Come with Mrs. Turner and myself; we are to search the blacksmith's shop for two missing persons," Henry said, turning again to Elizabeth. "You are sure you will be able to accompany us?"  
Elizabeth nodded. "I shall search myself," she said resolutely.  
Henry nodded. "Come along!" he called to Carter and Jones. The four of them made their way easily through the streets; people practically jumped aside to allow men of the Navy through. Henry Norrington strode at the forefront, his face set and grim. At a time like this, Elizabeth could not help but notice how his reaction to disaster remarkably resembled his father's.  
They reached what had been Will's shop to find only two walls still standing. The other two, as well as the roof, had collapsed in. Elizabeth felt her heart flutter; how could anyone have survived inside?  
Carter, Jones, and Norrington had already gone to work shoving aside the remains of the shop. Passersby began to join in the search, seeing Elizabeth standing by helplessly. Men of the town rolled up their sleeves and jumped in with the captain and the lieutenants to help the good Mrs. Turner, who had always been kind to everyone.  
It was not long before Lieutenant Carter heard a muffled voice from beneath one of the roof beams. Several men grabbed onto it and lifted the large wooden beam to reveal Will, who had been partially trapped beneath it and covered by several of the fallen shelves. He was lifted up and found to be mostly in good health, despite numerous cuts and abrasions from the shattered glass; but he could walk and had had no head injury. He and Elizabeth embraced for several minutes, her tears leaking onto his bloodstained and torn shirt, before he declared that he was joining in the hunt for Trinity.  
Elizabeth watched tearfully as her husband and the others rooted around in the wreckage of the building for her daughter, so newly returned and now perhaps taken again. But hope bubbled up inside her when Henry Norrington cried out; he had spotted a tiny foot peeking out from beneath a shattered beam.  
Will, Carter, Jones, Norrington, and the others rolled the end of the beam---for it was not in its entirety---away and uncovered the limp body of Trinity Turner. Norrington bent immediately and placed his fingers at her neck; there was a pulse. It was weak, but it was there.  
"She's alive!" he called to the crowd gathered around the remains of the building. Elizabeth burst into grateful tears and restrained herself no longer; she waded recklessly into the waste and watched as Carter and Jones gently lifted the unconscious Trinity, blood leaking down the back of her head, from the ground and carried her slowly to the fort, where the injured were being treated.  
Will hobbled along after them, leaning against Elizabeth for support, for though he had proved his strength, he was not entirely unscathed. Norrington ordered Trinity to be treated immediately, and the military doctor set to work immediately. Will was thoughtfully placed on a cot next to her, and Henry saw to it that Elizabeth had a chair and some tea while she sat with her family. Henry himself was frequently in their corner of the fort, checking to see if Trinity---clean and bandaged---was yet awake and if Will felt any stronger.  
But it was two or three or four hours---Elizabeth lost count---before Will looked at his daughter and saw her eyelids fluttering.  
"Elizabeth," he said, grabbing his wife's arm. Across the fort, Henry saw them leaning over Trinity's cot and immediately made his way hence.  
"Trinity," Elizabeth breathed tearfully. "Thank God! Are you in pain?"  
But Trinity's eyes were wandering. She saw Henry's face, above her parents', and smiled. She saw Will, his cuts cleaned, and felt tears brimming. She glanced back at Elizabeth, and all of a sudden, the moments before she had blacked out came rushing back.  
"Mother," she said weakly. Elizabeth started; Trinity had never given her this title neither before---nor had she called Will her father. They had been strangers to her, for she could not recall the ten years she had spent with them.  
"Mother," Trinity said again, and Elizabeth looked back at her daughter. "I remember you." 


	7. To Love or To Live?

Chapter Seven: To Love or To Live?  
  
AN: Ah---have had much inspiration on the workings of the rest of the story! Unfortunately, school's started again, so I can't update as frequently. I'll try to get a chapter out every other day, if I can. This chapter and probably most of the next are going to be pretty uneventful, but after that I'll probably reach the turning point of the story and then there's the action and finally the resolution---which I can say will be my favorite part, if it turns out anything like I want. I'm also predicting that this will be a fairly short fic---probably not more than ten chapters, if I reach ten! But it's been incredibly fun to write, nonetheless! Thanks so much for your reviews!! ~Ellie~  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Tell me again, darling," Elizabeth said, gazing adoringly at her daughter. They were sitting together behind the house, watching William leap about with his stick-sword, sipping tea and reclining lazily in large, white whicker chairs.  
It had been almost a week since the raid, and life was beginning to go on again. Will spent his days with many of the village men working through the remains of his shop and beginning to rebuild it. He had been pessimistic when the work began, but now he came home hopeful---more could be salvaged than he first thought. Trinity had been carried home and sent to bed for the next five days. She had been almost grateful for the time to herself; she had spent many long hours reflecting on the memories that now flooded her mind. She had a history, and though she could not remember all of it---some pieces remained mysteries now matter how hard she thought--- she knew now the answers to many questions that had been growing in her mind.  
She remembered the day she was taken. She knew how she had run about, playing pirate in her grandfather's yard. She remembered the face of Commodore Norrington---how she had perceived his eyes to be longing and sad, though at the time, she knew not why. There she lost the thread of recollection, but it picked up again as she lay awake, a ten-year-old child, staring at the curtains over her bed, sitting up directly when a maid entered---the maid who led her to the pirates that took her, she knew. Most of the time she had spent on Adrian Flynn's ship was a blur, but she remembered clearly the first moment she had seen the face of Jack Sparrow--- it had not been in his cabin, when she awoke, as she had always thought. It had been on Flynn's ship, when he had reached into the darkness and pulled her out into the light. He had bartered for her, and apparently won. And then there was the image that appeared when she closed her eyes and thought of her surrogate father---that of his face, smiling cautiously and leaning over her that same day as she lay in his bed, in his cabin, with AnaMaria at his side.  
But she remembered more. She remembered the house in which she lived now, though it had been slightly different then. She remembered her father's wild tales at supper, the same that he told still. But she had always known them, she thought. She had only forgotten. She remembered being surrounded in love and kindness, a privileged child, no doubt, and a spoiled one. Was she spoiled now? Indeed, for there were countless people who loved her, and she could not rightly say if she loved any of them.  
She was a wretch, in her own mind. She was a woman torn in two; she was Trinity Turner, whose roots were in the high society of Port Royal, who led a charming, simplistic life, who was adored by her gentle mother and her indulgent father. But she was also Trini Sparrow, a pirate maiden raised by the infamous Jack Sparrow, whom she loved, who loved her, who had taught her the meaning of life, love, and freedom, and who had shaped her character. How does a person choose between two such lives? Was she allowed the choice, even?  
"Trinity?" Elizabeth said, pulling her daughter from her thoughts. "Are you all right, darling?"  
"Oh!" Trinity said, starting. "Yes, fine. What was it you were saying, mother?"  
Elizabeth beamed; Trinity had been calling her "mother" and Will "father" since the day after the raid. Now that she knew this was the place where her roots truly existed, Trinity had felt it would be too cruel to continue to call her parents by their first names. "I was just wondering if you'd tell it to me again---that memory you had, about the pie? But you look exhausted; don't let me bother you. Why don't you go on inside and rest a bit?"  
Trinity smiled. "I am resting," she said. "And I don't mind saying it again. It's one of my favorite memories." She glanced back out at the rolling green of the hill where William was playing and breathed the clean air in deeply, closing her eyes and bringing the pictures to the surface of her mind. "I remember how the house smelled," she said, smiling reminiscently. "Just like this, only---greener, in a way. I suppose it was spring. The kitchen was warm because the sun was slanting in through the windows---the curtains were blue, then."  
Elizabeth nodded. "I remember," she said softly.  
"I was little then," Trinity continued dreamily. "Five or six. Everything was powdery and white, because we were baking. I remember standing on my toes to see it---a pie, peach or something, because I kept reaching for the fruit basket and trying to sneak a piece. You lifted me up and let me pat the crust into the pan and trim the edges and ea the extra. And when I made a flour handprint on your gown, we started a fight. And father came home and found us like that, and I ran to him and hugged him and turned the back of his coat white. And he laughed and picked me up, and the three of us kept on until we were covered with flour. And Darla didn't mind, when she came in and saw. She just laughed and took me to the tub and I could hear you and father in the kitchen, laughing."  
Trinity opened her eyes slowly, a lilting smile playing on her lips. She glanced at Elizabeth, who was beaming, eyes misty, and radiating happiness as she gazed at her daughter.  
They sat like that in silence for a moment, happy to be happy. And then Darla poked her head out of the back door and said, "There's a visitor for you, Mrs. Turner."  
Elizabeth stood immediately. "Tell them I'll be right there, Darla," she said, and the maid nodded, disappearing. "Don't tire yourself, Trinity," continued Elizabeth. "Do come inside for an hour or so before supper."  
Trinity nodded, and watched her mother go back inside. She turned her attention to William, who was approaching her, holding the stick limply at his side. He rarely spoke to her, preferring to gaze curiously at her during mealtimes. Trinity wasn't sure if she regretted this action or not, for she had heard that children were often irritating. William, however, seemed only curious.  
"Have you defeated the enemy?" she asked him seriously.  
He nodded, and she smiled, remembering how she had enjoyed this same game so many years ago.  
William approached his older sister cautiously and stood before her, as though working up the courage to say something.  
"Did you really live with pirates?" he blurted out finally.  
Trinity had the urge to laugh at first, but thought better of it. She smiled kindly instead. "Aye!" she said, and saw his face light up. "Aboard the Black Pearl, the fastest and most notorious pirate ship in the Caribbean."  
William looked at her in awe. "And did you know Captain Sparrow?" he whispered reverently.  
"I did," Trinity said gravely. "He was like a father to me, you know. Like an uncle," she explained when she saw his confusion. They had the same father, after all.  
"Did you go on many adventures?"  
Trinity nodded. "Indeed," she said. "A great many adventures. I saw a great many battles and watched Captain Sparrow fight single-handedly a hundred men!"  
William's eyes grew wide, and Trinity felt all guilt at her exaggerations vanish. "Did you love it?" he asked.  
"I did," she replied honestly.  
"Then why are you here?" he asked innocently. "There's never any adventure around here, except when the pirates come and mother makes me stay indoors."  
Trinity paused. She had been about to say, "Because this is where I belong," but something had stopped her. The question that had been growing and bubbling in her soul for the past few weeks came spilling out: was this where she belonged?  
She loved her life on the open sea, to be sure. But did she love it because it was a constant adventure, as William thought, or did she love it because it was her life? She had come to enjoy her life at Port Royal; she was constantly surrounded by kindness and pleasurable activity. But this was not her life. Her life was aboard the Black Pearl, with Jack. She was torn again, for the millionth time since she had arrived. The question now was to live or to love? Was it possible to live the life she treasured and love Will and Elizabeth at the same time? Or must she love them and remain a puppet, acting a part in which she was ill cast?  
"Trinity?" William asked, and she was again brought back into the real world.  
But she was saved from answering by her mother, who opened the back door, beaming again. "William, come inside," Elizabeth said. "Your sister has a visitor."  
Trinity turned in her chair and saw Henry Norrington walking stiffly through the doorway, Elizabeth politely closing it after him. He bowed to Trinity, and she nodded in greeting as well.  
"I trust you are recovering well, Miss---Trinity," Henry said, catching himself before he called her Miss Turner again. He would never deliberately ignore a request she had made of him.  
"I am," she said, smiling. "And I thank you for your concern. Will you not take a seat, Henry?"  
"Thank you," said he, sitting in the chair Elizabeth had previously occupied. "You look---very well. How is your father?"  
"He is healed," Trinity said. "And his spirits are lifted. He has hopes of rebuilding the shop before winter, in case it is too cold to work."  
"That is good news indeed," Henry said, smiling. "And you, Trinity? Are you in good spirits as well?"  
Trinity thought for a moment before replying, "I am in tolerably good spirits. For now I am burdened with memories. I have become a real person again, if not completely whole. And you, Henry---how do you fare?"  
"I am agreeable most days," said he. "But when I am near you, I am happier than a king upon his throne. I could sing for joy when I look upon you, for you are that which creates happiness in the world."  
Trinity felt blood rise to her cheeks. She looked modestly at the ground and tried to control the fluttering of her heart. "You should not say such things," she said quietly.  
But Henry was not abashed---a remarkable feat for one of his status, title, and stern propriety. "I apologize," he said. "If I have been too forward and if I have offended you. But I must speak my mind or I shall burst with the thoughts. I leave in a matter of days, for in but a week the fleet arrives, and I shall sail with them. I cannot sail easily if I do not know that I may return to you. Will you promise to wait for my return, Trinity?"  
Trinity felt her head spinning. She had never experienced love from a man other than her fathers and her mother. She had never felt love before--- love that she could not return. And yet when she looked into the eyes of Captain Henry Norrington, she could not imagine bringing harm to him in any fashion, for he had been as kind to her as anyone. Her first reaction was to tell him that Trini Sparrow waited for no one. But then she remembered that he asked her not as Trini Sparrow but as Trinity Turner. The two were not one, she thought. But could she give him false hope?  
"I am---flattered by the feelings you express in asking this of me," she replied quietly. "And I say that while I am the daughter of Will and Elizabeth Turner, while I reside in Port Royal, and while I am bound to this life, I shall wait for you, Henry Norrington. But you must know that I am not one person but two, and for the second I cannot speak."  
But Henry did not seem to mind that she answered conditionally. He seemed overjoyed that she had answered at all. He stood and bowed low. "I am most honored," he said, smiling and glowing with pleasure. He bent to one knee and took her hand and kissed it, as though she was a queen and he her loyal servant. "I take my leave of you now, Trinity," said he. "For I do not wish to tire you, and I have business at the fort. I could not keep myself from asking any longer. Shall I see you soon?"  
She nodded, rendered speechless at last. He stood. "Good day," he said softly, and then strode from the grounds and headed down the road and into the town without speaking another word to the lady of the house, most unusual for the straight-laced captain.  
Trinity sat fanning herself for many minutes more, contemplating the scene that had just taken place. She was bound, now, to Henry Norrington--- a good man who Trinity Turner could come to love and would easily wed. But Trini Sparrow, the lass bubbling forth inside her, balked at wedding such a man, at being bound to such a life.  
When Trinity could no longer take the struggle within herself, she rose and re-entered the house. She had resigned herself to wait, for a sign, for an event, for anything to tell her where her fate would lie.  
She made her way slowly up the stairs towards her chamber. She had reached the corridor when she heard a voice, singing a familiar tune. It was coming from Elizabeth and Will's bedchamber.  
Heart pounding, she made her way down the hall and towards their open door. There sat Elizabeth upon a stool, brushing her hair and wearing her dressing gown, obviously preparing to change for supper.  
".drink up, me hearties, yo ho," she sang softly, not yet aware of Trinity standing in her doorway.  
"Where---" Trinity spoke, her voice strained. Elizabeth turned suddenly and looked quizzically at her daughter. "Where did you hear that?"  
"I sang it all the time as a girl," Elizabeth replied, smiling at the memory. "Your grandfather detested the song. Why?"  
Trinity's head was spinning again. Would nothing stand still? Was life an ocean as well, tossing and turning just when one thought all was calm?  
"He sang it to me," she said softly. "Every night at the helm."  
And before Elizabeth could recover enough to speak, Trinity had turned and made her way to her own bedchamber and closed the door with a resounding click.  
Here was her sign. She restrained herself no longer; Trini the pirate burst forth, and her soul longed for the sea. From her window, she could catch glimpses of it between the trees. The ache in her heart could not be healed by time. Nothing could mend her wounds but the opportunity to live. And perhaps through living, she could come to love as well. She could share herself, she gathered, in love---if first she could be made whole. She had decided, and she would act, she thought, at the earliest----at the opportune moment. 


	8. The Opportune Moment

Chapter Eight: The Opportune Moment  
  
AN: Ack, sorry it's taken me a few days to get this chapter out. My midterms are next week, so I've been studying like crazy! Next week I'm out at noon almost every day, so there shall be more updates, if I can muster the creativity! Thanks SOOO much for all your reviews! They make me smile!! ~Ellie  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Jack watched from the Pearl as the crew packed up their campsite. It had been quite a while---he had never stayed on the island longer than a few days, and now it had been almost a week. The crew was getting restless; they were as eager to be out on the open sea again as he. But where was their destination? He could think of only one place in which to drown his sorrows, in which to hear news, in which to think of a new place to go--- Tortuga.  
And so when Gibbs approached him and informed him that all the crew was aboard and stowing the plunder and supplies, it was Tortuga that Jack named as their destination.  
"Tortuga?" asked Gibbs. "Again, Cap'n?"  
"Aye," Jack said wearily. "For a few days at least. All the crew's to go ashore and find whatever pleasure they like. And when we return to the Pearl, it's a new destination. What say you to Spain?"  
"Spain?!" Gibbs cried, out of both shock and delight. "Aye, Cap'n, a fine place it is, Spain. But so far---how long d'ye plan on goin' without a return trip to the isle?"  
"We could make it, Gibbs," said the captain, gazing out at the horizon. "We could, and there'll be plunder to be had there. And then we return and restock the caves."  
"Aye," Gibbs said, scratching his head. "But Cap'n, there's hoards of towns in the Caribbean that 'ave no fleet at all. Why, it'd be better to raid up and down the coast rather than sail halfway across the world and get nothin' more."  
"Indeed it may well be, Gibbs," Jack said, glancing at his first mate for the first time. "But despite the treasures of the Caribbean, these islands seem to be running short of something else, savvy?"  
Gibbs gave his captain a puzzled look and grunted. Jack turned and waved his hands erratically at his first mate. "Adventure!" he cried. "Change! You know; yo ho ho and a bottle of rum?"  
"Ah," Gibbs said. "Plenty o' rum below decks, Cap'n. No need to go all the way to Spain."  
Jack shook his head. "Do me a favor, mate," he said. "Don't ask any more questions. Savvy?"  
"Aye, Cap'n," Gibbs said, swigging from his ever-present flask. "Set sail for Tortuga, then?"  
"Aye," Jack said, and he turned away from his first mate and took the wheel again. This was where he belonged; he was finally starting to remember that. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
Trini sat as still as she could at breakfast, with Elizabeth watching her. Over the past few days she had been utterly restless. Neither company nor entertainment could keep her from constantly glancing out the windows. Elizabeth had taken note and informed Will, but he chalked it up to the fact that she was still convalescing. Stillness and bed rest had to be difficult for one who loved to be moving.  
But Trini knew the reason. She knew something was coming---she could feel it in her bones. Her legs cried out to run, her hands itched to hold a sword. And her heart was full to bursting with new hopes and old ties. If only whatever it was would come soon, she could feel like a person again, instead of a tingling bag of nerves.  
She glanced up from her breakfast plate and gazed out the window that showed the best view of the harbor. Something was different---a ship! There was a ship in the harbor!  
"Mother!" Trini cried, unable to keep the edge out of her voice. Elizabeth started and looked over at her daughter. "There's a ship in the harbor. Has the new fleet come early?"  
Elizabeth shook her head. "No," she said bitterly. "Another pirate ship. They want no plunder, oddly enough. They've come to drink and gamble. Will says they've been at the pubs all night. The owners are glad and afraid at the same time---good for business, they say. But they fear Norrington and the men he has left will try to run them out, and that would result in another battle." She sighed and pulled the curtains closed with a jerk.  
"Just wait," she said, taking a seat across from her daughter. "Wait until the fleet arrives. Then all will be well again, and you shall see Port Royal just as you remember it." She smiled, a hopeful smile, and began to eat her own breakfast.  
Trini hadn't long to wait. Soon there came an urgent knock on the door. Elizabeth let her fork clatter loudly onto her plate and hurried to open it. Trini rose and ventured into the entrance hall. There stood Captain Henry Norrington, fully uniformed and properly decorated.  
His hat was in his hand, and he bowed to Trini. She nodded in return, and Elizabeth, smiling mischievously, made her excuses about clearing the dishes and ducked hurriedly back into the kitchen.  
"Trinity," Henry said, taking her hands. "I've come to bid you good- bye."  
"What?" Trini asked. "What are you talking about?"  
"I'm taking my men to make a camp on the far side of the island. The Navy fleet is approaching as we speak; they will collect us and be here by this evening, and we shall do away with the pirates who now sit in our harbor."  
Trini's mind was working. She always thought fast, something she had learned from watching Jack in action. "This evening?" she said. "What time, approximately?"  
"Before nightfall," Henry said, tightening his grip on her hands. "I shall go with them once we have defeated the pirates, and then I do not know when I shall return. You remember the promise you made me, Trinity?"  
She nodded, trying to keep her focus on the desperate man in front of her.  
He smiled and kissed her hand. "My love," he said. "Until we meet again."  
And then he was out the door and striding briskly down the path, leaving Trini alone to her mad, irrational thoughts.  
"Mother!" she cried, running back to the kitchen. "Mother, where is father?"  
Elizabeth turned from the window and looked at her daughter. "He is working on the new shop, you know that, Trinity," she said, looking puzzled. "What is it, darling?"  
"You must run and bring him home!" she cried. "Make haste, for Captain Norrington has just informed me that soon there will be a battle taking place---the new Navy fleet is rounding the island as we speak!"  
Elizabeth's eyes widened. "Yes," she breathed. "Of course. I'll be back soon, Trinity! Look after your brother---he's in the yard!" She grabbed her bonnet, pulled it roughly over her head and fled out the front door, following the same path as Henry Norrington had taken.  
Trini watched her mother go, a pang of guilt rising in her throat. She had not told such a bad lie, she thought. She needed time, just a bit of time! She opened the door and called out for William. He appeared from around the side of the house.  
"Come inside!" she said. "Go and stay in your room for an hour---the new fleet is coming, and there's to be a battle."  
William's eyes widened excitedly. "I shall watch from my window!" he cried, and he trotted indoors and up the stairs. Trini heard his door click shut, and then she herself made haste up the stairs to her parents' bedchamber.  
She closed the door quietly and made for Will's bureau. Opening the drawers, she removed the worn breeches and shirt he had lent her---he had salvaged them, on the third day, from the wreckage of the smithy. She smiled, for now no garb would suit her more. She changed hastily and pulled on his boots as well. The pins she ripped from her hair, letting her long brown curls hang loose again. She tore the sash from the gown she had been wearing and used it to tie her hair securely back, then went in search of her sword.  
The sword she had used to practice with Will had been in the shop. But she dared not take one of his, for they were fine swords, and she was not fit to carry such a weapon. It was the short, broad blade that Jack had given her that she sought now. For if she knew her father, she knew that he would never dispose of a sword, no matter how ill made.  
After a few minutes of searching, she located the worn leather sheath that held her sword---it was stashed beneath the mattress of the bed, on Will's side. Trini grinned to see it again. She was almost there.  
Opening the door quietly, she made sure William's door was still closed. All was silent as she stepped out into the hall and crept down the stairs. She peeked out the window; the path was all clear. It would take Elizabeth a while to make it to the smithy and convince Will to come home. With a pang, she thought of Elizabeth and Will. She couldn't leave them, worry them, and leave no word.  
Hurriedly, she grabbed a calling card sitting on the table in the entrance hall. She had no time to write a long note, but she wrote something she felt to be satisfactory, left it face-up on the table, and then headed for the back door. She glanced back only once, to take one last glimpse of the house where she had come to find herself.  
Her insides were squirming with nerves and with guilt. Her plan would only work is someone was aboard the ship---anyone. And she felt horrible about leaving Will and Elizabeth, again. But she had made up her mind, the moment had come, and she must seize it or live her life in regret.  
She made her way down to the harbor by the same path that Jack had taken the first day he had brought her to Port Royal. The brush kept her hidden from any daring person who might be out and about in the streets with pirates in the port. She emerged on the beach and made her way stealthily to the docks.  
The ship stood just in front of her as she gained the docks. It was an unfamiliar ship, but majestic and new, as though it had been built for a wealthy merchant. And stolen, she figured.  
She made her way up the gangplank and walked about the deck. Everything was still; it seemed that her plan would fail---no one was aboard.  
Just then, she heard the clumsy, heavy footsteps of a drunk coming up the stairs. She whirled around and saw a grey and grizzled pirate entering from below decks. He rubbed his eyes and looked at her, then started and reached for his gun.  
But Trini was quicker, thanks to her sword training. She had crossed the deck and had her blade at his neck before he could pull his gun from his hip.  
"Parlez," she said coolly. The obviously drunken man looked at her in bewilderment. "Where is your captain?" she snapped. "I need to speak to him."  
The man grunted. "'e's in t'cabin," he drawled, nodding at the cabin to her right. Trini edged towards it, keeping her sword pointed at him at all times.  
"Go in," she ordered. "And tell your captain that the pirate Trini Sparrow wishes to take counsel with him." When the man looked at her hesitantly, she thrust the blade of her sword against his neck and barked, "Go!" He held up his hands and knocked on the cabin door, entering when the captain called out his permission.  
Trini waited impatiently outside. A few moments later, the drunken man emerged, followed by a tall, muscular man in a dark grey coat and a captain's hat.  
"Miss Sparrow?" the captain asked her in a low, gravelly voice. "Doyle tells me you have come aboard me ship and drawn sword against him." Off to the side, Doyle nodded.  
"Aye," Trini said, sheathing her blade. "That's true. And it's Trini, Captain. I've come to make you a bargain."  
The captain laughed. "What bargain can ye make me, lass? I don't suffer women aboard me ship."  
Quick as a flash, Trini had her sword out again and held it now at the throat of the captain. "You will suffer me," she growled.  
The captain had only to glance at the sword at his neck before he held up his hands. "Aye," he said, and she moved the blade away a bit. "I suppose I shall, for a little while. What is that ye want, Trini Sparrow?"  
"I've come to warn you," she said, moving her sword away from the captain. "As we speak, a fleet of the Royal Navy is rounding the tip of the island on the opposite side and picking up an extra crew of men. They will be here before nightfall, and they plan to attack your ship."  
Doyle started and looked up sharply at his captain, who was rubbing his chin in contemplation. "That is a problem," he said at last. "And I thank ye for the warning. But what is it that ye'll be wanting in return?"  
"Take me aboard your ship as one of the crew," Trini replied. When the captain and Doyle exchanged shocked looks, she continued, "I've spent seven years aboard a pirate ship. I do not belong in Port Royal; I was left accidentally when my ship's captain ordered us out of port a day early. Take me on, and I promise you shall have a faithful member of your crew as well as a skilled swordswoman, taught by the best in the Caribbean." She leveled her gazed and looked coolly at them both, awaiting an answer.  
Finally the captain grinned, displaying large, white teeth, a rarity among pirates. "Aye," he said. "Ye're a hard lass to bargain with, but I'll take ye. Welcome aboard the Silver Dragon, lass. Doyle! Take Miss Sparrow to her quarters."  
Shaking his head in incredulity, Doyle led Trini below decks and pointed at an empty cot in the corner of the sleeping quarters. The rest of the pirates were sleeping or passed out---she figured they had spent all night drinking and had come back to the ship to sleep it off all day.  
That all changed when a bell began clanging loudly from the deck. Everyone awoke, jumped up, and clambered up to the deck. Trini followed along. The captain was shouting orders, and everyone was repeating them and then rushing around to carry them out. They were making way to sail from Port Royal.  
Trini grinned and joined in the shouting and the scurrying about. She received many odd looks, but she ignored them, earnestly following orders. It was an amazing feeling, to be back on a ship, and she didn't want to let guilt or doubt penetrate her mind. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
Elizabeth burst back into the house, followed closely by Will. "Trinity!" she called, removing her bonnet. "We're home, darling!"  
William raced down the stairs and hugged his father around the knees. Will grinned and tousled his young son's hair, but when he looked at William's face, there seemed to be something bothering the lad.  
"Something wrong, William?" Will asked, kneeling.  
Will bit his lip. "I think so, father," he said. "Trini---"  
He was cut off by Elizabeth's shriek. Will shot up and flew to her side. She clutched in her hands a calling card. Will looked at his wife, confused. "What is it?" he asked, taking her arm in case she decided to swoon.  
With shaking hands, she held out the card. He took it, noticing for the first time that something was scrawled across the back in a broad, firm hand.  
"'My dear mother, father, and William,'" Will read aloud. "'I cannot tell you how it pains me to leave you, especially now when our affairs are finally coming to be in the right. I say that I truly loved you, and that I shall continue even after I am gone. But the opportune moment has arisen, and I can no longer deny the person that I am. I have gone back home, though I shall miss you all sorely. Forgive me, and remember that I leave you with my love.'"  
He looked up at Elizabeth, who had gone pale. "It's signed 'Trini'," he whispered.  
"She's gone back," Elizabeth breathed, her eyes wide with horror. "She's gone to find Jack. Will---she could be in danger! How is---how--- when did she---"  
"I saw her go, mother," William piped up, and his parents turned to him. "I was watching out the window for the battle to start, and I saw a man leaving the house. But then I looked again, and the man looked back, and it was Trinity."  
Will knelt before his son again. "Which way was she headed?" he asked William quietly.  
"Down to the harbor," William said in a small voice. "She went through the jungle and down to the harbor."  
"The ship," Elizabeth whispered, and a moment later, she and Will were racing into the kitchen. Elizabeth jerked the curtains aside and glanced out.  
"It's moving!" Will cried. "She's gone aboard the ship!"  
"They're taking her," Elizabeth said. "Will, we've got to go after her! We can't let her sail away into the open sea with---with pirates!"  
Will looked helplessly out the window. "The fleet," he said at last, glancing at Elizabeth. "The Navy's fleet is coming around the island, you said?"  
"Captain Norrington has already taken his men to meet them," Elizabeth replied. "We'll never catch them, Will!"  
"No," he said, turning and heading out into the hallway, Elizabeth on his heels. "But I will. I'll go after her, Elizabeth."  
"Will, no!" she cried, grabbing his arm as he made for the door. "I'll go with you! You cannot leave me here!"  
"I can and I must," he replied. "Do you remember the last time we left our child alone?"  
Elizabeth froze. She locked eyes with her husband, and she understood. This was something he had to do alone. She let go his arm and nodded.  
Will pulled her to him and kissed her furiously. "I will come back," he said. And before Elizabeth could say anything else, Will had left, closing the door with a resounding slam behind him. 


	9. We Meet Again

Chapter Nine: We Meet Again  
  
AN: Ahh, I'm so excited that this fic has worked out exactly like I planned it. It's short---the next chapter should be the last---but this is exactly how I want it. I'm very happy with it, and hopefully if I can find the time, the creative energy, and a good enough plot, I'll work up a sequel! Also, this is the chapter where the time finally matches up: Jack is leaving Tortuga at the moment that we see first see Trini on the Silver Dragon in this chapter. Thanks so much for all your reviews!! And I'm SOOOO sorry this has taken such a long time to get up! Finals are finally over, so I can finish this up! ~Ellie ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
Jack felt an odd sense of déjà vu as he sat in the Tortuga pub across from AnaMaria and Gibbs, the barkeep Walker jabbering his ear off. It took actual concentration to keep from looking to the opposite end of the table, where Trini had sat just months before.  
"---and I 'eard 'e's gone off the deep end," Walker was saying to AnaMaria and Gibbs, who were nodding and listening intently-some gossip about a crazy pirate captain, Jack supposed. He hoped it wasn't him.  
But Jack's concentration was broken when Walker nudged him. "You've seen a bit o' action, mate?" he asked.  
Jack raised his eyebrows. "No more than usual," he said. "Why?"  
Walker shrugged. "Lost part of the crew, 'aven't ye? That lass who was 'ere last time. Thought she was yours but I should know better---ain't no settlin' down, eh, Captain?"  
Jack nodded absently and downed the rest of his rum. Slapping a few coins on the table, he stood abruptly. AnaMaria and Gibbs followed suit, nodding to a stunned-looking Walker as they shoved their way out of the pub.  
"Still, Jack?" AnaMaria cried, frustrated. He had seemed to be getting back to himself, but Tortuga seemed to bring everything back.  
"I want out of 'ere first thing in the morning, love," he said, not glancing back. "Time for the Pearl to explore new waters."  
And with that, he left the two of them behind, making his way briskly aboard the Pearl and retiring to his cabin, and he did not emerge until the following morning. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
"There it is," Trini breathed as she stood in the crow's nest of the Silver Dragon. It was mid-day, and they were arriving in Tortuga; she could just see the port through the thin mist that still lingered over the water. She had thanked the stars when, upon asking their destination of the captain, he had given her an incredulous look and informed her that they were headed for Tortuga, as if she should have known. Trini had an odd feeling that Jack was nearby---she could only hope it meant he was in Tortuga, as was more than likely anyway.  
"Land, ho!" she called down, and she heard the crew cheer as they, too, sighted their favorite port. They scrambled around, making ready to dock, and soon enough, they were exiting the ship and scattering into the town to enjoy company, drink, and cheap food until they were drunk beyond belief---a pirate's favorite sort of holiday.  
Over the past few days, Trini had been keeping a close eye on her mysterious captain. He was calm and always in control, and it seemed he had very few friends among any of the crewmembers. They treated him with the cordial respect, but there was only a servant and master relationship, nothing beyond, as Trini had come to be used to on the Black Pearl. For some strange reason, she felt as though she had seen this captain somewhere before, but he had not spoken to her since the day she came aboard, and she could never quite get a good look at him. She had never heard his name, either, for the crew called him 'Captain', and he had never formally introduced himself. She supposed she must have met him at some point during her time with Jack, but she couldn't quell the odd feeling in her stomach whenever he walked past her.  
Trini waited anxiously on deck as they docked in Tortuga. It took much too long to lower the gangplank, she thought, and she was the second person off the ship, after the captain of the Silver Dragon. Trini had no idea what madness it was that took her, but she shoved her way through the streets, looking for the pub Jack had brought her to the last time she had been in Tortuga. When she had set out to regain her life at sea, she had told herself that it would take time, but for some reason, anxiety was building in her, as though she were pursued, as though her few days aboard the Silver Dragon were building to something pivotal. She felt now that perhaps her search would not take years, as she had guessed, though she could not explain the feeling. It came to her, a knowledge that is simply understood and not learned, as one instinctively knows how to breathe.  
Trini's heart soared as she located the pub. She shoved her way inside, keeping her arms out to plough a path through the drunken men. Already she was remembering her upbringing, the rules Jack had taught her before ever bringing her to shore at a port: walk like you're bigger than you are, use your arms and shoulders to push a broad path, tips like that. She was glad she had known, for had she not been walking about looking like a fool with her arms out, she probably would have been crushed against the walls. But the early afternoon bar fights didn't phase her at all; she was used to sights such as these, now. Protective as he had been, though he had never brought her to Tortuga before she was seventeen, Jack could not have kept Trini aboard all her life. There were safe ports, she remembered, that occasionally he stopped at, more for her own sake than his. He was always doing things like that; pirate or not, Jack Sparrow was a good man.  
Trini skipped over choosing a table, as they were all being overturned anyway, and went straight to the bar. The barkeep, whose name was Walker, she recalled, was polishing a dirty glass with a grimy rag. He leaned over the bar as she slapped two coins onto the countertop.  
"What'll it be, missy?" he asked, barely glancing at her.  
Trini leaned over further, and he looked up again. She could see recognition in his eyes, and she smiled.  
"Yes, you know me," she said. "I'm Jack Sparrow's daughter, as it were."  
Walker dropped the glass. "Daughter?" he said, aghast. "I thought ye were his---his---"  
Trini pulled a face. "You are foul," she said, but she threw down another coin from the pouch at her waist. "But you always were at the top of Jack's list of informants. So, render me this service, man---tell me, when was the last time you saw my father?"  
Walker glanced at the coins and then back up to Trini, her lips pulled into a wry smile. She looked nothing like Jack, he thought, but at that moment, she was radiating his influence. "I've seen 'im," he answered at last. "Not even a day ago; set sail this morning. Seemed a bit eager to get out of port, judging by how much 'e drank---t'wasn't much, lass."  
Trini froze. She had missed him! She had felt it, somehow; she knew he'd be here, but it was too late.  
"Lass?" Walker said, peering into her face. She shook her head and straightened.  
"Thank you," she said curtly, and she turned on her heel and pushed her way out of the bar and onto the streets.  
Trini walked, her heart heavy, back in the general direction of the docks. She had missed her chance, and now it might truly be years before she ended her wild chase. What had she been thinking? The rational side in her was coming out---the Turner in her, she supposed. Her mind might be Turner, but her heart was screaming Sparrow, and Trini knew better than to disobey her heart. It always had a way of getting its revenge.  
Trini was standing at the foot of the gangplank up to the Silver Dragon before she realized she was not alone. The entire crew was either on board or heading up the docks.  
"Move it," said the man called Doyle as he shoved into her roughly. He hadn't been too partial towards her since she had threatened him on that first day.  
Trini watched him walk up the gangplank in amazement. What was going on? She couldn't stand on the docks wondering forever, so she headed up as well, hitting the deck just before one of the crew shoved her aside and pulled up the gangplank.  
"What's going on?" she asked the nearest person, a man called Roberts.  
"'aven't ye 'eard, woman?" he growled. "Cap'n's been tossed out o' e'ery pub in port, and they ain't forgettin' so easily. We's settin' sail now, off East, Cap'n says."  
"Off East?!" Trini cried in anguish. "Why to the East?"  
"Cap'n, 'e comes from place up North," Roberts said. "Ireland, 'e says. We's all from Mo'er England, and we ain't ne'er seen no Ireland. Cap'n, 'e says 'e's goin' t'take us there, and we's goin' to plunder 'round t'coast. Slim pickin's lately, 'e says. 'e finks in Ireland, there'll be gold a-plenty, as ain't no man goin' plunderin' up there."  
Roberts headed off to help hoist up the anchor, having thoroughly answered Trini's question. Trini, however, could barely stand. To Ireland. Her hopes were crushed; there was no way Jack would be going to Ireland, or even east, for he belonged in the Caribbean. It was over; she'd never find him, and now she was just another pirate maiden on another pirate ship, with no friends and her family---all her family---as far away as she could imagine. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
Will had run miles, across the entire island, to reach Captain Norrington's men. And when he emerged from the jungle and found them loading into rowboats on the beach, ready to make their way out to the grand ship waiting for them just offshore, his heart soared with relief. He ran down the beach, waving his arms and shouting, knowing he looked a fool and not caring.  
Henry Norrington glanced up from the supply list he was examining to see Will Turner running down the beach like madman. He shoved the paper into the hands of one of his officers and made to meet Will.  
"Mr. Turner?" he said as the man stopped, breathless, in front of him. "What is this about?"  
"Trinity," Will gasped. "She's been taken again---or rather, she's gone on her own---on the pirate ship in the port this morning. They've left already, and we must catch them!"  
Henry's face paled, and he nodded curtly. "Of course," he managed to say crisply, though his heart was pounding. Trinity was in danger, and he would kill the foul beasts that took her, for he could not believe that the proper, respectable lady he had known would ever go aboard a ship full of scum of her own free will.  
He turned on his heel and stalked back to the boats. "Row!" he cried to his men as he climbed into a boat. He was surprised when the boat rocked after him, and he turned to see Will climbing into the end.  
"Your services will not be required, Mr. Turner," he said cordially. "The Interceptor II is a fine ship with a vast crew; we will return your daughter with all due speed."  
Will sent him a withering glance. "She is my daughter," he said coolly.  
"And my betrothed," Henry added, somewhat urgently.  
Will's eyebrows shot up, but Henry could not say he looked displeased.  
"I apologize for not asking your blessing, sir," he said. "But I was in haste, and nothing is truly official as of yet."  
Will nodded. "Make amends and allow me to go with your crew," he said.  
Henry nodded. "Agreed," he said, and he turned back to his men. "Row, men!" he cried. "We've a subject of the crown to save!"  
The men rowed quickly, and soon all the boats were stowed aboard the Interceptor II, almost an exact model of its namesake, but with several new innovations that made it much faster than its predecessor.  
Norrington briefed the captain on the situation with the pirates; the two of them agreed that they would sail immediately for the nearest port where pirates were welcomed---Tortuga. The remainder of the fleet would arrive at Port Royal in a few hours to rebuild the fort and protect the town once more.  
Will took his place with the crew, feeling almost happy to be aboard a ship again. Granted, it was a heart-rending situation that brought him here, but he was just as comfortable aboard a ship as he was on land.  
When Norrington and Mansfield---the Interceptor's captain---agreed to become co-captains, they began giving orders, and the crew sprang to life. Soon, the ship was headed for Tortuga, and already Will was at ease; they would catch the Silver Dragon and bring Trinity home again. Or so his head told him, but his heart sang a different tune. Pirate was in her blood, he knew, and his as well, though he was able to live happily on land, too. But his father had not, he reminded himself. His father had been a pirate; it seemed Trinity had inherited his spirit more so than Will. Perhaps these things sometimes skipped generations, he thought. But he tried to shake away the strange feeling and concentrate on sailing, so that his daughter would be sooner returned to him.  
It was almost an entire day before they reached Tortuga, fastest ship in the navy or not. Norrington and Mansfield were the ones who left the ship, and it was they who returned two hours later, looking quite disgusted, and having found that the Silver Dragon had been in port for an hour or so on the previous day, as it was now early morning on the day after Trini had missed Jack at Tortuga.  
"Set sail towards the east!" Norrington cried. The crew scurried around, and Will went off to help hoist the anchor, but Henry grabbed hi arm and pulled him aside.  
"What is it?" Will asked.  
"She's alive," Henry said, obviously thinking Will would be relieved by this. Will, however, had known his daughter was alive; he knew she was no captive. "One of the barkeeps of a foul little place saw her yesterday, in the early afternoon. He said she donned pirate garb and sailed east with the Silver Dragon, captained by a pirate called Adrian Flynn."  
"Flynn?!" Will cried bitterly.  
"You know of him?" Henry asked.  
"I know of him," Will spat. "It was Adrian Flynn who took her from Port Royal when she was ten, the night of that godforsaken raid."  
Henry's eyes seemed to widen. "And he's come after her again?"  
Will shook his head. "What else did the man in the bar say?"  
Henry looked slightly befuddled now. "He said she asked about Jack Sparrow. She called herself his daughter and paid the man richly for information about Sparrow."  
Will nodded. "She would," he mused. "I knew it---I knew."  
"What is it that you know, Mr. Turner?" Norrington asked.  
Will glanced into the eyes of this hopeful young man who believed he was in love. Henry Norrington could never understand the love of the sea that flowed through Trini's veins. Will could. But he could not let his daughter stay aboard a ship with the man who had nearly killed her so many years ago. It was possible she did not recognize him, and he, of course, would not recognize her. They had less than a day's head start; the Interceptor could catch them, if the wind was in their favor.  
"Nothing," he answered Henry at last. "I know nothing but that we must make haste. Trinity is sailing ignorantly aboard a ship with a violent and vengeful man who took her from us seven years ago. Who knows what he may do to her. If you'll excuse me, Captain Norrington, I've a few jobs to do."  
And Will nodded, slipping past the young Norrington to join the crew again. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
Jack was humming to himself as he stood at the helm. He hadn't been in such high spirits for weeks, and his crew was heartened to see him acting like himself again. Perhaps a change of scenery was really was he had needed. Not that the ocean looked much different wherever he went, but it was the idea of exploring somewhere new that had lightened his heart.  
"Really bad eggs," he mused, checking his real compass. Gibbs and AnaMaria wandered up to stand behind him at the helm, AnaMaria examining the horizon in front and behind, Gibbs swigging from his flask.  
"Making good time, Cap'n," Gibbs commented, watching the wind fill the sails of the Pearl.  
"That we are," Jack replied casually. He breathed deeply the salty air; his heart felt light again with his lungs full of the air that only came from the open sea. "Change," he said. "Good for the soul, Gibbs. Can't stop it, either, change. Might as well just let it all go and sail along and see where it takes you."  
"Aye," Gibbs said, drinking from his flask again. "Well said, Cap'n."  
"Jack," AnaMaria said sharply, gazing intently through her spyglass in the opposite direction of their path.  
"What is it, love?" Jack asked, not bothering to turn around.  
But AnaMaria turned, snapping her spyglass firmly shut. "Ship on the horizon." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
AN again: Apologies if that counts as a cliffhanger! I was going to go on, but this chapter would be enormous. Next chapter shall be quite emotional. There's a lot of good dialogue I've got planned, so it may be a day or two before I get the next chapter up, but now that finals are over, there shall be no more weeklong delays! Please review, if you've got time, I really appreciate it!! 


	10. Home Again

Chapter Ten: Home Again  
  
AN: The last chapter! *wails* Well, it's been IMMENSELY fun. I love this story, and I'm glad people have read it! =^) Hopefully, I'll have a sequel in the works, if I get enough support for the idea! Just one quick note on this chapter and the story as a whole: the reason Elizabeth isn't in a lot of this story is because it focuses on Trini's relationships with Jack and Will, her fathers. She's more than a little bit of a daddy's girl, obviously. That comes into play in this chapter and the final sort of confrontation, which is how I wanted it. Anyway, here you go and thank you so much to all my faithful reviewers; you've made all the difference! ~Ellie ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
"Ship?" Jack asked, turning at last. He took the spyglass from AnaMaria and focused it on the horizon line behind them. Sure enough, there was a ship following them. Whether merchant or pirate or even navy he could not tell. But he knew one thing---a bit of action was always good to cheer one up and hearten a crew for a long journey.  
"What's in your head, Jack?" AnaMaria asked suspiciously.  
He closed the spyglass and took the wheel again. "Let them come," he said. "Slow 'er down, Gibbs."  
Gibbs looked flabbergasted; he stood still in shock for a moment before Jack turned to him and gave him an exasperated look. Gibbs sprang into action and scrambled down onto the deck, screaming for the men to drop canvas. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Trini was in the crow's nest when she saw it---the outline of a ship, very faint, on the horizon in front of her. She called down to the crew, and they leaned over the rails to look as well. The captain pulled out his spyglass and peered at the ship. "They're dropping canvas!" he cried, and the crew roared. "Let's take 'em, lads! Full speed!"  
Trini shaded her eyes and looked again. There was no mistaking it; the other ship had indeed lowered its sails and was slowing down. As the crew scrambled beneath her, Trini clutched the hilt of her sword. The captain's intent was clear; this was to be a raid on the other ship. Soon Trini would be involved in her first real battle with pirates. She had never imagined she would go into it without Jack.  
All too soon, they were drawing nearer the ship. And a knot was tightening in Trini's stomach, but she would never admit that she was frightened. She descended from the crow's nest and stood on deck with the rest of the crew, watching as they approached the ship.  
As they came closer and closer, Trini had a flash of realization. She bit her tongue to keep from crying for joy and moved to the rail; she knew that ship.  
It was the Black Pearl.  
Now the fear she had felt was mingled with joy, for her search seemed to be at an end, even as it had begun. But what a way to return home---in the midst of a battle! She clutched the edge of the rail as the rest of the crew scrambled to load the canons, and the Silver Dragon drew alongside the Black Pearl. Trini could see Jack standing confidently at helm, and her heart fluttered. There was her father at last, and there was her home, so close. She racked her brain, but already the captain of the Silver Dragon was calling out to Jack, aboard the Pearl.  
"Permission to board," called the captain of the Dragon, knowing full well he would never be granted permission, but this was a typical way to start a battle.  
Trini could see Jack's grin flash across his face even from where she stood.  
"What say you, mates?" she heard him call, and the crew of the Pearl, her family, roared with rage.  
Jack sauntered to the edge of the ship. "I'd say that's a 'no', mate," he called over.  
Flynn snarled. He turned to his crew and screamed, "Fire!" A second later, Trini heard Jack roar the same command, and a series of deafening booms and crashes echoed over the ocean.  
Trini herself had no pistol, but her sword was in her hand, and she waited with a pounding heart for the command to board. One of the Pearl's canons had no sooner blown a hole in the side of the Silver Dragon than Trini heard, as though from far away, someone crying out for the crew to go aboard.  
Trini eagerly went in search of a rope. Men were swinging over to the Pearl and engaging in hand-to-hand combat, and she wasn't going to miss her chance. She climbed up to the helm; a rope was tied about the wheel, holding it in place. She hacked away at it with her sword and grabbed on, standing over the rail and looking for a place to swing to.  
She spotted Jack on the side of the Pearl nearest her; he was fighting with Doyle, who, despite his seemingly ignorant state, was obviously a skilled swordsman. Setting her jaw, Trini jumped up on the rail, holding tightly to the rope, and shoved off.  
Jack was surprised at the man he was fighting---he looked a bit hung over, but he was fighting like a maniac. A small grain of worry was growing in the mind of the infamous Jack Sparrow when he was saved from his foe by a figure swinging over from the enemy ship. Knocked the man out, hitting him square in the face.  
Jack shook his head. Bloody pirates, couldn't even tell their own crew from their enemy. Oh, well, time to go after that one---he whirled around to begin fighting with the man who'd just swung over, only to find his sword stopped in midair by a short, broad blade.  
"I know that sword," he said aloud. He glanced at the hand that was holding it and his eyed wandered up her arm to her face. He grinned.  
"'ello, love," he said, not bothering to lower his weapon. "I see someone's taught you the sword."  
Trini nodded and rotated her blade, sliding it away from Jack's just in time to slash away at one of the Dragon's crewmembers, coming up behind him.  
Jack glanced at the man on the floor then back up at Trini. "That wasn't very nice, love," he said. "Your father wouldn't like that one bit."  
Trini grinned. "My father's a pirate," she said. "He won't mind."  
"Ah," Jack said knowingly, and he grinned again. "Well, then, we'd best get on, lass."  
"Aye," Trini said, and they turned to meet foes coming up behind them, fighting back to back.  
Jack watched Trini fight whenever he could; he had to admit, she was excellent. "Will teach you that, lass?" he asked when she pulled off a rather complicated footing, tangling up the pirate she was fighting and knocking him out.  
"Aye," Trini said, ducking a blow that came at her from another of the Dragon's crew. Word seemed to have spread that she'd turned on them, and it didn't do well for Trini.  
"Should 'ave known," Jack said, assisting her in knocking the man overboard. "You've got perfect form, just like 'im. But, love, when you're in the middle of the ocean fighting on board a pirate ship, perfect form isn't as important, is it?"  
Jack watched as Trini ducked, sending the man who'd been rushing at her flying overboard. She got in one good jab at his leg before he'd gone, and she stood up. "Guess not," she said, grinning, and they made their way back into the fight together. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
"Where do you intend on searching?" Will asked Henry Norrington as they strode along the deck together. "The man in Tortuga, he said they'd gone east, but that could be anywhere. Have you a specific destination in mind? England, perhaps?"  
Norrington shook his head. "Pirates, back in England?" he said. "There would not be enough profit there to interest them, Mr. Turner."  
Will was growing impatient; he wanted answers, he wanted action, he wanted his daughter back. "Then where, pray tell, Captain Norrington?" he asked sharply. "Or does the royal navy not care for the life of one citizen, be she the governor's granddaughter and a captain's fiancée or a whore?"  
Henry looked aghast at Will, but before he could open his mouth to counter the man, a cry came down from the lookout.  
"Ships on the horizon!" the man called. "Battle in progress, Captain!"  
Both Will and Henry rushed to the bow of the ship, and Henry pulled out his spyglass. "Pirate ships, both of them," he said, handing the spyglass to Will, who looked out eagerly.  
"That's the Pearl," Will said quietly. He changed his glance to the other ship. He could just make out the serpent detailing on the back of the ship. "That's it!" he cried. "That the Silver Dragon, Flynn's ship, the ship Trinity's on!"  
Henry Norrington paled as he listened to the booming of the canons. "We must go," he said. "I'll order the ship to come around the Dragon."  
He began to walk away, but Will grabbed his shoulder. "No," he said. "It is I who must go, alone. If we send this ship, pride of the royal navy, into battle between two pirate ships, there will be devastating consequences. I will go, because those on board the Pearl know me, and I will bring her back."  
Henry's face hardened. "Perhaps you speak wisely," he said. "But I will go with you, Mr. Turner. You are not the only man who cares for Trinity."  
Will nodded curtly, and Henry sought out Mansfield and informed him of the plan and the reasoning behind it.  
Soon enough, Will and Henry were sitting in a lifeboat, rowing towards the Black Pearl. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
"Tell me, love," Jack said as he and Trini fought side by side again. "What made you come after the Pearl?"  
"You tell me, Jack," Trini said, slashing a pirate across the cheek. "Why the hell are you always chasing her everywhere?"  
Jack grinned at his daughter. "Aye, I see," he said. "Just like your grandfather, love."  
"My grandfather?" Trini asked, shoving another man against the railing, where he slumped over.  
"Aye, your grandfather," Jack said, sending another pirate overboard. "I sailed with 'im. Great pirate and a good man. Seems Will didn't inherit quite as much of the pirate spirit as you, love. Ah, well, these things tend to skip generations."  
"Right," Trini said, knocking her opponent's sword from his hand and letting Jack step in to finish him off.  
They stood back together for a moment and surveyed the still-raging battle. "Why did you let us catch you?" Trini asked. "The Pearl could easily have outrun the Dragon."  
Jack nodded. "Aye," he said. "But look, love; we're winning. Always does good for a crew to win a good battle. Especially on a long voyage."  
"A long voyage?" Trini asked. "To where, Jack?"  
"I was thinking Spain, lass," he said, examining the hilt of his sword. "'aven't been there in some years."  
"But it's so---what the---" Trini moved out further onto the deck, Jack behind her. "Will!" she cried.  
Will and Henry had at that moment climbed over the railing of the Pearl's bow, having just reached the ship. Henry looked around in disgust, but Will was immediately thrown into battle against a man who'd just swung aboard. They battled heatedly, Henry not even trying to help, though his sword was drawn. He watched the town blacksmith in awe, having never known the man was so skilled with a blade.  
"Ah," Jack said from over Trini's shoulder. "Now that's a sight, love."  
"What, Will fighting?" she asked. "It's not, really."  
"No," Jack said, sounding slightly surprised. "Will fighting Adrian Flynn. Didn't ye know, love?" He pointed at the captain of the Silver Dragon, currently fighting Will on the bow of the Pearl. "That there is Captain Adrian Flynn."  
"Flynn," Trini whispered, and memories flooded into her mind. "No," she said. "He's on the Lady, the Grey Lady."  
"Ah, well, you see, love," Jack said, obviously not phased a bit. "It's not unusual for a pirate to find 'imself a new ship. Commandeer a new ship, that is. Not all captains are lucky enough to have a ship like the Pearl and more often than not---"  
But Jack never got to finish his explanation, for Trini had drawn her sword again and was pushing her way through the battling crew members towards the bow. With an exasperated sigh, Jack followed suit.  
Will had managed to pin Flynn against the rail, his sword at the man's chest. Trini sprang up behind him and added her own sword to the threat. Henry gazed at her speechlessly, but Will didn't even flinch.  
"You," he hissed at the trapped Flynn. "You took my daughter from me seven years ago. You almost killed her. You've destroyed our lives, and now I'm going to destroy yours."  
"Parlez," Flynn snarled. "Ye can't lay a hand on me until I've spoken to the captain."  
Jack appeared at Trini's side and added his sword to Will and Trini's. His pistol was in his other hand, cocked and pointed at Flynn.  
"Sparrow," Flynn spat. "Ye always were a soft man. I knew when ye took that lad of mine and---"  
But Flynn was shocked when Trini slashed him across the face. "I am not a boy!" she screamed, pushing her sword dangerously close to his neck.  
"It seems your Parlez is complete," Jack said with a grin. The sound of his pistol echoed through the waters, stopping the crew in their tracks. All eyes were on the slumped form of Adrian Flynn, three swords at his chest and a bullet hole in his head.  
Will moved his sword away and sheathed it. Jack and Trini pulled theirs away as well. "Throw 'im over," Jack said to his first mate. Gibbs nodded and shoved Flynn the rest of the way over the railing, the splash of his body the only sound that could be heard aboard the Pearl.  
The crew of the Dragon had dropped their weapons. Their captain was dead, and the Pearl's crew was relentless. They had no hope any longer.  
"Back to your ship," Jack said from the helm. "I'll let ye go. Fine battle, lads. Gibbs!" Gibbs appeared at his side again, the flask out. "See that no less than a quarter of the swag is left aboard for repairs."  
Gibbs nodded and set off to give the orders.  
Will wrapped Trini in his arms, relieved to see her alive, forgetting the fact that she'd just been in an enormous battle and nearly killed a man. He felt tears spring to his eyes when her arms wrapped around him as well. Finally, if they could just make it home, everything would be normal.  
But after a moment, Trini pulled away. "Trinity," Will said, holding her hands tightly. "Let's go, darling, it's time to go home."  
But Trini shook her head, and Will's heart sank. "I am home," she said quietly.  
Will shook his head, trying to clear it. This couldn't be happening, not again. She couldn't leave again. "No," he said. "No, this isn't your home. I can't let you stay here, with---with---"  
"Pirates?" Trini finished for him, smiling slightly.  
Will nodded, also smiling. "It's ironic," he said. "How you always wished you were a pirate when you were a little girl. I thought it was funny, and Elizabeth encouraged you like mad. And now you are one, and I can't fathom letting you call this your life, Trinity."  
"It's Trini, Will," she said, her heart breaking when she saw him flinch. But she couldn't call him 'father' any longer.  
Jack finally turned around, after seeing his orders being carried out, and his eyes took in the scene in front of him. "Will," he said, during the awkward silence. "Good to see ye, mate."  
But instead of greeting him as a friend, as he would normally have done, all of Will's emotions came bubbling to the surface, and in a flash, he had his sword drawn and held at Jack's throat.  
"Will!" Trini shrieked, backing away from him. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"  
"You did this to her, Jack," Will cried. "You taught her to live on the sea, and now she can't leave it. You've taken my daughter from me more than Adrian Flynn could have."  
Jack was bent over nearly double, and he stayed silent, not daring to speak. But Trini moved to Will, placed her hand on the hilt of his sword, and looked him in the eye.  
"You don't mean that," she said quietly. "Jack saved me. Do you think I ever would have been happy on land? Even if Flynn had never taken me, my heart calls me to the ocean. There's no denying it, Will. Jack didn't make me how I am; it's in my blood. And yours, if you'll remember properly."  
Will gazed at his daughter longingly, a torrent of emotion blazing in his eyes. His hand wavered, and finally, he lowered his sword.  
"When I married Elizabeth," he said softly. "Her father gave her an extensive dowry. We could have lived in a mansion surrounded by gardens, and I'd never have had to work another day in my life. But Elizabeth knew how I loved the smithy. She would never have considered asking me to give it up, even if we could have had a perfect life. And in the same way, I cannot ask you to give up something you love so dearly, my daughter. Even if we could have had the sort of life that people envy, I would never be content to know that you were unhappy." He sheathed his sword and took her hands, examining them as though they were precious jewels, trying to hide the tears in his eyes.  
At last, he drew her to him and hugged her tightly. He kissed her forehead. "Good-bye, Trini," he said at last, and he backed away.  
Trini grinned broadly; everything was right, her heart was soaring! But her happiness lasted only a moment, for Henry Norrington, having stayed hidden in the background all the time he had been aboard the ship, suddenly stepped forward.  
"No!" he cried vehemently. "I cannot stand aside and allow you to do this!" He drew his sword, and once again, Jack was in danger of a close shave.  
"Captain Norrington!" Trini cried, pushing his sword away. Then, gentler, "Henry."  
He looked at her, his face clouded in confusion. "I told you," Trini said. "When you asked me to wait for you that I was not one person but two. I was Trinity Turner, and now I am Trini Sparrow, and Trini I am destined to be until death take me."  
"You call this man your father?" Henry said, pointing his sword dangerously at Jack, who smiled beseechingly.  
"Who is your father?" Trini asked him.  
"I don't believe that's relevant, Miss Turner," Henry replied.  
"Just answer me, Henry," Trini said, her hand moving to the hilt of her sword. Henry saw this, and he answered.  
"Commodore James Norrington was my father," he said proudly.  
"Ah!" Jack cried, having a flash of realization. "I should 'ave known, lad, ye act---"  
But three glares from Trini, Will, and Henry silenced the pirate. Trini moved to Henry. "Give me your hand," she demanded.  
Henry was becoming rather flustered. "What?"  
"Just give it to me!" Trini demanded, drawing her sword. Henry complied, and Trini opened his palm and nicked it with the edge of her sword. A thin line of blood seeped out, and Henry gazed at her in shock.  
"You said your father was James Norrington," she said quietly. "Is that his blood?"  
"Well, no," Henry said, wiping the blood from his palm. "But what does that---"  
But Trini was smiling, and Henry understood. "You see," she replied softly. "It's not the blood that matters, but the heart."  
Henry was silent for a moment, gazing at the cut on his palm. He lifted his head. "But he's a pirate," he argued feebly.  
"And a good man," Trini added. "Your father knew that. You will, too, someday." She smiled at him and added, "I'm sorry Trinity had to break her promise, Henry. But she's still there waiting for you, when you get back. She's not Trinity any longer, but she's still the same. Maybe her name is Anne or Margaret or Elizabeth, even. You'll love her just as much as you did before, and even more. And you'll be happier than you ever could have been with me. That promise I can keep."  
Henry nodded mutely. He drew away from her and sheathed his sword. Jack stood upright once more, giving a little bow of appreciation.  
"We should be returning to the ship, Mr. Turner," Henry said quietly.  
  
Will nodded and watched the young captain prepare to climb back down the rope from the bow into the rowboat. He glanced once more at Trini and smiled. His eyes wandered to Jack.  
"Take good care of her, Jack," he said, and the pirate nodded in assent. With that, Will swung over the rail and slid down the rope into the rowboat after Henry, trying not to look back and wondering how he was going to explain all of this to Elizabeth.  
Trini turned back to face Jack, smiling. Gibbs and AnaMaria joined them at the helm.  
"All set to sail, Cap'n," Gibbs said. "Men just bringin' aboard the last of the plunder." He glanced over at Trini and nodded to her in greeting, as though she'd never been gone.  
AnaMaria smiled at Trini. "Good to see ye've made yourself useful," she said. "Back for good, then?"  
"Aye," Trini cried, and Jack grinned madly.  
"Where to, then, Cap'n?" Gibbs asked. "Spain, still?"  
"Oh, I don't know," Jack replied casually. "The Pearl doesn't really need a destination, mate."  
"I think Spain would be a fine adventure," Trini put in, and Jack glanced over at her approvingly.  
"Spain it is, then," he said to Gibbs, who drank from his flask and made his way down to the deck to give the orders.  
AnaMaria nodded at Jack and Trini and followed Gibbs, leaving the two of them alone again for the first time since Trini had left the Pearl.  
Jack took the helm, and Trini stood at his side. Ordinarily, he would have been filling her in on his history in Spain, and she would have been asking a thousand questions about their business there. But at the moment, they didn't need any words.  
It was Trini who broke the silence, after the Pearl had begun to move again. She began humming softly the pirate song, the one Jack had always sung to her, the one she had heard Elizabeth singing, the only song she knew.  
Jack's face split into a grin, and he glanced over at his daughter. "And really bad eggs," they cried together as they sailed off into the horizon. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ AN: *sobs* I'm really sad it's over! I hope the ending wasn't too cheesy, and I do hope you'll review! I've got an idea for a sequel, but I don't know if it'll make it off the ground! Thanks again to everyone who's read this story and reviewed---I love you all!! 


End file.
